General Motors and three auto parts suppliers have spent the weekend brainstorming ways to boost production of life-saving ventilators, one of them told the Free Press.
While GM is not commenting on which suppliers it's working with, a spokesman said a lot of progress has been made over the weekend.
On Friday, GM announced it will partner with medical device company, Ventec Life Systems, to help it make more ventilators amid the coronavirus pandemic. GM is helping the Washington state-based company increase production of ventilators by providing expertise in purchasing and manufacturing.
Just hours after that announcement, GM leaders called on one of its biggest suppliers for help: Meridian Lightweight Technologies Holdings Inc., Joe Petrillo, Meridian's director of business development told the Free Press.
"They were looking for a source to supply ventilator parts that are these small magnesium castings," Petrillo said.
Meridian, with offices in Plymouth, is a leading global supplier of lightweight cast metal parts mostly for the auto industry. It has operations in Eaton Rapids, Canada, Mexico, Europe and two plants in China.
Despite Meridian's muscle power, it couldn't deliver what GM wanted, said Petrillo.
"The ventilator parts are very small," said Petrillo. "The machinery we have is not the correct equipment required to make those type of components, but we know our competitors who have equipment that is more suitable to making that kind of part."
Meridian is helping GM find suppliers to make six unique ventilator compressor parts. The parts are made of magnesium and would be used to manufacture about 200,000 ventilators, he said. Meridian, Petrillo said, has put GM in contact with two other suppliers who might be able to help:
- Twin City Die Castings Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn.
- Myotek, which runs plants in Manistee and China.
JIm Cain, a spokesman for GM, had no comment on whether the automaker is talking to suppliers for help building parts for ventilators, but said there is "a tremendous amount of work being done since Friday’s announcement."
The story was first reported by Crain's Detroit Business. In it, Mytek CEO Eric Showalter said, "We're off and running. The tool shops are designing tools right now. We're able to at least start to kick off tools in China to build these things. If we get paid, we get paid."
Other auto suppliers have been contacted to make ventilator parts including Magna International in Troy and Auburn Hills-based powertrain parts supplier BorgWarner Inc., Crain's said.
More: GM to partner with medical device company to boost ventilator production
More: Detroit automakers say they need help from Trump, Congress: What they're asking for
Petrillo said Meridian is not looking to make profits from this job.
“The best way for us to help them, is not for us to do it, but to have other people who are more suited to do it, do it for them," Petrillo said. “This is not a situation where we’re looking at each other as competitors or to make a profit. It’s for the greater good. Everyone is trying do their part."
Contact Jamie L. LaReau at 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.
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GM taps big auto suppliers for help in boosting ventilator production - Detroit Free Press
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