Ford Ships 1 Million Face Shields from Windsor Site
Photo: Ford
After kicking off production of face shields at its Windsor Site in late March, Ford Motor Company of Canada has achieved a milestone in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, the manufacturing facility in Ontario produced its 1 millionth face shield, an occasion celebrated by the automaker and UNIFOR.
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“Windsor Site employees reacted to this pandemic by asking how they could help,” said Peter Wilson, global integration manager, Ford Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering. “The cooperation and collaboration across various teams has been incredible, as everyone involved wanted to do the right thing for their fellow Canadians.”
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Ford shut down North American manufacturing on March 18 as the coronavirus emerged into a full-blown pandemic on the continent. Within 10 days, Ford and UNIFOR had converted the world-class Windsor plant to build plastic face shields, which have proven crucial for frontline healthcare workers. This was part of Ford’s worldwide effort to produce personal protective equipment for the people working to save lives during the pandemic — an effort that includes building respirators and ventilators in the United States.
In less than three months, even with the restart of manufacturing in Canada and across North America, the plant and its paid volunteer employees have built and delivered more than 1 million face shields to help combat the virus at home and abroad. Ford and UNIFOR celebrated the effort on June 18 with a commemorative photo. Ford of Canada CEO Dean Stoneley said that he is proud of the team at the Windsor Site for its adaptability and mobility in the face of crisis.
As the pandemic continues, Ford of Canada continues its PPE manufacturing efforts. Plans call for the Windsor Site to build a total of 2.75 million face shields when all is said and done.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.