Ford Employee Volunteers Producing 100,000 Face Shields to Support Healthcare Professionals and Front Liners

BANGKOK, Thailand, 7 April 2020 - Ford Thailand today confirmed that employee volunteers from Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) and AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) began using the FTM facility last week to produce face shields to meet urgent demand for health care workers on the front lines of the coronavirus response in Thailand.

Ford will also be distributing some of the face shields through its Ford dealers, who will be donating them to people and organizations in need within their own local communities.

The production and distribution of face shields in Thailand is aligned with Ford’s global initiative to mobilize the company’s resources and expertise to support local communities around the world in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ford will initially produce about 2,000 face shields per day, and plans to supply at least 10,000 units to healthcare workers through Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health’s distribution channels within this week.

Distribution will continue next week to the Ministry of Public Health, as well as a number of provinces across Thailand via Ford’s dealer network.

“Healthcare professionals are facing a shortage of medical supplies and our Ford employees are volunteering to help support those on the front lines of this crisis,” said Wichit Wongwatthanakan, managing director, Ford Thailand.

“At Ford, we feel a strong obligation to step up and contribute in times of need, and we have the resources, expertise and most importantly, the spirit of our employees to contribute and help make a difference,” said Wichit.

The face shield project in Thailand is one of a number of Ford initiatives being implemented around the world to help combat the coronavirus pandemic.

In the US, Ford is now making a face shield every 10 seconds, with over one million face shields distributed to hospitals and first responders last week.

Ford announced that it has joined forces with 3M and GE Healthcare to quickly expand production of urgently needed medical equipment and supplies for healthcare workers. This includes the collaboration with GE Healthcare to produce FDA-cleared, third party ventilator in Michigan with the goal to produce 50,000 ventilators within the next 100 days and up to 30,000 a month thereafter as needed.

Ford is also working with 3M to increase the manufacturing capacity of their powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) designs and working jointly to develop a new design leveraging parts from both companies to meet the surge demand for first responders and health care workers.

In the UK, Ford is evaluating a separate effort with the U.K. government to produce additional ventilators, while Ford team in Australia is testing face shields developed locally to support healthcare workers.

In addition, the Ford Motor Company Fund, Ford’s philanthropic arm, has announced a new COVID-19 Donation Match program in more than 20 countries, including Thailand, giving employees and others the opportunity to support nonprofits and community groups as they cope with coronavirus-related issues.

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