McLaren joins industrial push to manufacture 10,000 ventilators
Supercar maker McLaren is one of a number of firms who have joined forces in a bid to massively increase the production of ventilators to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Ventilator Challenge UK, as the consortium is known, comprises some of the UK’s largest industrial groups, bringing together companies such as BAE Systems, Airbus, Thales, Ford, Renishaw, Rolls-Royce and Smiths.
The Sunday Times reported that the collective have received an order for 10,000 ventilators, a critical piece of equipment for the resource-strapped NHS.
McLaren said it would use the expertise and resources from all three of its businesses to aid with all aspects of production.
It is also manufacturing other key components such as equipment to test the efficacy of the new ventilators as well as trolleys to which to fix them in hospitals.
Speaking today, cabinet minister Michael Gove said that the NHS currently has a little more than 8,000 ventilators at its disposal.
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In addition, Gove said the government had already made an agreement with Dyson to manufacture 10,000 more models as the country rushes to prepare for the expected surge in coronavirus cases.
Plans for Ventilator Challenge UK’s model are set to be unveiled tomorrow, with two different schemes reportedly under development.
The first of these, which according to the Guardian has been nicknamed “Project Oyster”, will see the consortium massively increase production of a ventilator designed by medical equipment firm Penlon.
The second, “Project Penguin”, will do the same with a model manufactured in Luton by Smiths Medical.
The government is looking to procure 30,000 ventilators in total, with medical technology firm Inspiration Healthcare having already received a £4m order from the NHS to import the devices from the US and Israel.
The UK has also belatedly joined a pan-EU procurement scheme to get hold of the breathing aids, having initially said it would not take part.