French automaker PSA and automotive supplier Valeo are contributing volunteer workers, factory space and technical knowhow to France’s increase in production of ventilators for coronavirus patients. Spearheaded by ventilator manufacturer Air Liquide Medical Systems, the joint effort aims to produce 10,000 ventilators by mid-May, the automaker said in a statement.
Final assembly of the ventilators will take place in Air Liquide’s factory in Antony, France, while PSA said it will build the ventilators’ mechanical components in its factory in Poissy, west of Paris, the report said. At these locations, 50 volunteers will be stationed at the Poissy factory and another 50 in PSA’s technology centre in Velizy, it added.
Automotive supplier Valeo will place some of its purchasers in charge of supplier management and the procurement process, at the same time providing R&D support, as well as expertise in plastics, mechanical and electronic technologies. Meanwhile, Valeo engineers will aid in the setting up of processes and training. The main industrial partner supporting the French effort is Schneider Electric, reports Automotive News Europe, while a further 100 companies have been enlisted provide parts and technical support.
Automakers in other countries are pitching in with help, as well. Formula 1 teams based in the United Kingdom are aiding in the manufacture and delivery of respiratory devices, with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 having developed a device that has been approved for use by the NHS in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Lamborghini has also converted parts of its production facility in Sant’Agata Bolognese to make surgical face masks and protective plexiglass shields. Parent company Audi has also announced that it will provide five million euros (RM23,828,000) in emergency aid to medical and social institutions in its home regions as well as humanitarian aid abroad, in addition to 600,000 euros (RM2,861,812) provided to hospitals in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.
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