Photo: General Motors
General Motors has been helping out during the coronavirus pandemic by producing face masks and ventilators. Now, the company has decided to expand its manufacturing efforts to make more personal protective equipment, like protective gowns, latex-free face shields, and aerosol boxes.
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Employee volunteers have been using their automotive production skills to make these necessities for healthcare workers and others on the front lines. Initially, employees brought handmade samples to hospitals to receive feedback on equipment prototypes, which GM took into consideration. Now, the company is able to mass-produce 50,000 face masks each week along with other equipment.
GM decided to manufacture face shields on March 27. At five GM locations, teams 3D printed the shield visors, using three different types of material. The company was able to give the shields to people on the front lines quickly and then improve the equipment based on the feedback gathered. GM is currently collaborating with Summit Polymers of Kalamazoo and is expanding its production to 50,000 units each week.
Members of the GM fabrication organization are assembling aerosol boxes and protective gowns. GM is distributing the aerosol boxes to hospitals and delivering the gowns to the Henry Ford Health System.
Steve Hart, GM director of design fabrication operations, said, “The dedication, abilities and spirit of collaboration from our skilled tradespeople has been humbling. They are working longer hours than ever on a voluntary basis to fulfill urgent requests from doctors, nurses and other professionals on the front lines.”
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It’s inspiring that the employees of GM have been able to utilize their skills to help keep people safe during the pandemic. Thanks to their hard work, GM has been able to scale up its efforts and supply more personal protective equipment to those in need.
Amanda Drago lives in West Chester, Ohio with her wonderful family, which includes her adorable dog, Coco. Amanda recently graduated from Miami University with degrees in both marketing and creative writing. However, if she was ever forced to change career paths, she imagines that she would train dogs for movies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and watching Netflix. She also has a special place in her heart for theatre and purchases tickets to as many shows as she can. See more articles by Amanda.