STEPPING UP: General Motors Scales Up the Fight Against COVID-19

May 13, 2020
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by Eric Becker

VOCSN critical care ventilators are transported on an a UPS truck from the General Motors manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Indiana, to Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by AJ Mast for General Motors)

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra talk with a GM employee while touring the GM manufacturing facility in Kokomo, Indiana, recently. (Photo by AJ Mast for General Motors)

As COVID-19 has spread across the globe, General Motors has stepped up its response in fighting against the pandemic. Combining its scale and manufacturing expertise, the automaker acted with immediacy, providing first responders and healthcare workers with much-needed essential tools.

At General Motor’s facility in Warren, Michigan, the automaker is currently manufacturing some 50,000 face masks per week and producing up to 1.5 million masks each month. “Our ultimate goal is to get more masks to the people who desperately need them,” said Shilpan Amin, GM vice president of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain.

Further amplifying production, the Warren facility has added two production lines dedicated to the manufacture of respirator filters. The automaker has expanded its production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and donated supplies to hospitals in need. GM’s Global Purchasing and Supply Chain team has set out to find surplus PPE from suppliers, reallocating excess supplies and equipment to hospitals in need.

General Motors workers produce protective gowns Monday, April 6, 2020, at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors)

Additionally, the talented trim specialists at GM’s Warren facility have applied their skills to producing protective gowns; on average producing 120 gowns per day. “The entire GM team stepped up to this task with passion and vigor,” said Peter Thom, GM vice president, Global Manufacturing Engineering. “I am incredibly proud and moved by what we all achieved in a very short space and time.”

Under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, GM has combined their manufacturing capability with ventilator maker Ventec Life Systems. The automaker’s Kokomo plant in Indiana is actively producing 30,000 ventilators for both local and national hospitals.

“We are proud to stand with other American companies and our skilled employees to meet the needs of this global pandemic,” said General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra.

General Motors workers produce face shields utilizing 3D printing at the GM Technological Center in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Jeffrey Sauger for General Motors)

General Motors has also taken measures to support local communities, directing $2.65 million to nonprofits across the U.S. The donation addresses the increasing needs of food security, small business support, housing and childcare.

“We’ve been actively engaged in our communities to help find solutions to new and compounding challenges, especially in education,” said Mark Reuss, GM president. GM has also pledged a $1,000,000 grant to the DonorsChoose Keep Kids Learning program.

Barrett-Jackson is proud to stand with our longtime partner General Motors and extends our sincere gratitude to all those helping combat the virus. Whether on the factory floor or the frontline, we thank you for your service.