Ford is producing face masks in the UK and face shields at its sites in Europe as part of initiatives to deliver a safe working environment for employees performing essential roles at Ford facilities in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Production of personal protective equipment (PPE) is already underway at Ford facilities in the UK, Germany, Spain and Romania. This is designed to ensure that Ford’s intention to restart initial production at most of its main continental European vehicle and engine plants next week does not add to worldwide demand for such personal protective equipment.
Rene Wolf, director of manufacturing, Ford of Europe, said: “We want our production facilities to be prepared and our staff protected – but we are determined to ensure that this has no impact on those tackling the Covid-19 crisis from getting the PPE they need.”
The company plans to increase output to meet the demand for the full resumption of European business, combining with a similar facility in the USA to provide global coverage of face masks for Ford employees world-wide.
Face mask productionThe company’s Dunton Campus, in the UK, has risen to the challenge by installing two new purpose-built machines that are capable of producing between 60 and 90 general-use, disposable face masks per min. Three teams of ten will work around the clock to produce the masks.
Chris White, manager, Dunton Technical Centre, Ford of Europe, said: “To get these machines up and running in such a short space of time, the response from everyone involved has been just amazing. The machines were sourced from China, and a Ford China team worked non-stop to prepare the delivery and ensured we could easily learn how to install and use them. Now, just a few weeks after the project was kicked off, we have already got our staff covered.”