Nissan Gears Up to Make Face Masks for Healthcare Workers in Japan
As the whole world is united in fighting the novel coronavirus, Nissan is pitching in to help frontline healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients in the automaker’s home country. Here’s a look at what Nissan is doing to join the fight, both in Japan and around the world.
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Providing personal protective equipment to healthcare heroes
When Nissan kicked off its PPE-manufacturing endeavor in April, the automaker planned to churn out 2,500 units every month. These efforts are taking place at three different locations — the Yokohama plant, the Nissan Research Center, and the Nissan Technical Center.
But the automaker won’t stop at producing protective gear — the company is also developing methods to streamline the production of essential medical equipment. Thanks to Nissan’s facilities and workforce, Japanese manufacturers will soon have an easier time building artificial heart-lung machines and ventilators for those in need. In addition to manufacturing and assembling this vital equipment, the automaker will also help provide hard-to-find essential parts for the machines.
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Nissan’s global efforts to support healthcare workers
This initiative in Japan mirrors Nissan’s efforts across the globe. The automaker is currently directing its Michigan, Mississippi, and Tennessee plants to produce protective gear for American healthcare professionals. In the U.K., the Nissan Sunderland Plant’s dedicated team of volunteers has been delivering as many as 100,000 face shields every week. The automaker has even footed the bill for an injection-molding machine that will speed up the production process further.
Nissan’s Barcelona plant is also dedicating its energy to help patients and healthcare workers in need. The brand has teamed up with engineering firm QEV Technologies, Hospital de Sant Pau, and the Eurecat tech center to produce ventilators, which are in notoriously short supply. The plant expects to produce 180 units per day. The first 20 were donated to a local ICU, while many others were shipped off to developing countries that have limited access to respirators.
Want to learn more about how Nissan is supporting healthcare workers? Check out our coverage of Nissan’s program to provide healthcare workers with free loaner vehicles.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.