The German government request forms part of wider efforts by authorities to tap engineering and production resources and tackle severe supply bottlenecks in critical medical equipment, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the talks aren’t public.
Political leaders in the U.S. and Europe have intensified talks over engaging private companies across industries in the battle against the virus as health care systems reel from a surging number of infections and fatalities. At some Spanish hospitals, doctors and nurses have evento taping garbage sacks to their arms to shield themselves after running out of disposable coats.
The firm has more than 125 industrial 3-D printers that have so far been mainly used to build components for vehicle prototypes, the spokesman added.Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess said Saturday the manufacturer started building up production capacity for protective masks in China, and is supporting German authorities with temperature measuring devices, masks, disinfectants and diagnostic equipment.
The virus crisis is crippling economies the world over. Germany’s will shrink by 5% this year due to the impact of the pandemic, the Bild am Sonntag newspaperOver the past week, companies unrelated to the medical-device industry have offered to retool factories to help make equipment to treat the afflicted. Ferrari NV and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV are in talks with Italy’s biggest ventilator manufacturer to help boost its output, while in the U.S, General Motors Co.