Mount Pleasant Magazine Documenting Covid-19

53 www.CoronavirusMag.com | www.ReadMPM.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature 3M answered the call with design and testing consultation, helping to develop a new powered air- purifying respirator (PAPR). In collaboration with the United Auto Workers (UAW), the company also began producing face masks for internal and medical use. In another move aimed at protecting health care workers, Ford is manufacturing reusable surgical gowns from airbag materials in conjunction with supplier Joyson Safety Systems. The automobile company perhaps best known for its Mustangs and F-150 trucks is also lending manufacturing support to help Thermo Fisher Scientific quickly expand production of COVID-19 collection kits for patient testing. General Motors is working with Ventec Life Systems to produce critical care ventilators needed to treat seriously ill patients. This V+Pro is portable and can run on battery power, an important consideration for non-traditional facilities, such as field hospitals. The company is using its Warren, Michigan, plant, which formerly produced automatic transmissions for the Chevrolet Impala and the Cadillac XTS, to manufacture face masks. As it ramps up, it’s projected to turn out business