Automakers Negotiating Manufacture of Ventilators and Beds to Fight Coronavirus

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Last Friday, March 20th, the Brazilian automotive industry began to work together to study the feasibility of using the idle capacity of plants to produce lung ventilators, which are crucial for treating patients with severe coronavirus, and even hospital beds.

Sources close to the National Association of Automotive Manufacturers (ANFAVEA) reported that nothing prevents automakers from helping to produce essential equipment for the health area at this time, because many have idle capacity.

The industry is in contact with the federal government and state health departments to analyze which devices are most important to enhance the care capacity for people infected with the coronavirus.

ANFAVEA is the organization that includes all companies that manufacture motor vehicles, agricultural machines, and self-propelled highways with industrial and production facilities in Brazil.

Since last week, automakers such as GM and Mercedes-Benz have announced the shutdown of their activities. On Monday, March 23rd, Ford was expected to halt its production. The aim is to safeguard the thousands of employees who work in the production plants.

The manufacture of ventilators and other health care equipment would require less labor. With automated assembly lines and state-of-the-art technology, automakers can do the job, says ANFAVEA.

In the United States, Ford, GM, and Tesla have volunteered to help manufacture ventilators and other hospital equipment critical to treating coronavirus patients.

“As America’s largest vehicle manufacturer, Ford is ready to help the government in any way it can, including the option of producing mechanical ventilators and other equipment,” Ford said in a statement last week.

The United States has approximately 160,000 ventilators. In Brazil, there are fewer than 70,000. Here, another concern is the increased demand for common and ICU beds in hospitals.

The São Paulo City Hall will provide 2,000 new beds at field hospitals that will be set up at the Pacaembu stadium and the Anhembi Convention Center, a venue with 400,000 square meters of floor space.

It is expected that low complexity patients will start to be seen next week. The increase in the number of cases of the disease is expected to exert further pressure on the health system, which will need more beds and equipment.

Source: Exame