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UK coronavirus: Smiths bolsters production to build 10,000 ventilators

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London's Excel Centre has been turned into an emergency hospital, which will need ventilators, to cope with the UK coronavirus outbreak
London's Excel Centre has been turned into an emergency hospital, which will need ventilators, to cope with the UK coronavirus outbreak

Engineering group Smiths has ramped up production of its ventilators to produce 10,000 units for the UK government’s fight against coronavirus.

Production will increase from hundreds of ventilators per month to thousands to meet the huge demand, after the UK recorded 1,228 coronavirus deaths yesterday.

Smiths said talks are ongoing with its supply chain to bolster capacity to build its Medical Para Pac ventilators, which help coronavirus patients to breathe.

FTSE 100-listed Smiths is one of several companies supplying the government with the breathing aid machines to combat the UK coronavirus outbreak.

The Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium also includes huge industrial groups like BAE Systems, Airbus, Thales, Ford, Renishaw, and Rolls-Royce.

“It is inspiring to work with the very best UK technology and engineering companies with a spirit of grit and determination to deliver these life saving devices to our incredible health service,” chief executive Andrew Reynolds Smith said.

“I am proud of the tireless work that our people at Smiths and those working across this extraordinary consortium of British companies are doing to make a real difference.”

Dyson is busy building 10,000 ventilators on a contract for the UK, while Meggitt is another engineering firm answering the call.

Yesterday Michael Gove said the NHS currently has around 8,000 of the breathing aid devices. 

Smiths added it is in “urgent discussions” with possible partners around the world to make its machines available in other countries struck by coronavirus.

“It is our duty and an honour to be supporting the UK Government to save as many lives as possible,” Reynolds Smith added.

“We are playing a key role working with the Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium to put in place the production and component capability to increase manufacturing of our lightweight portable ventilator as fast as possible.”

The consortium has divided production into two stages. The first will see firms rapidly ramp up production of a device produced by Penlon, in a scheme reportedly dubbed Project Oyster.

The second will see it focus on Smith’s device, produced in Luton, in a scheme dubbed Project Penguin.

Overall the government has ordered 30,000 ventilators to battle coronavirus.