Medtronic and Foxconn will produce 10,000 PB560 ventilators at Foxconn’s Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin
The PB560 ventilators will be marketed and sold by Medtronic.(Credit: Medtronic.)
Medtronic and Foxconn Technology Group have announced plans to ramp up the production of Medtronic Puritan Bennett 560 (PB560) ventilators in the US.
The ramp up plans follows the completion of all Medtronic’s regulatory and quality requirements by Foxconn to begin manufacturing ventilators.
The companies are currently advancing towards production of 10,000 PB560 ventilators in 2021, at Foxconn’s Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.
The PB560 ventilators will be marketed and sold by Medtronic.
Medtronic respiratory, gastrointestinal and informatics business senior vice president and president Vafa Jamali said: “No single company can meet the current demands for ventilators that are critical in the fight against Covid-19.
“Joining together with Foxconn immediately increases our production capacity to meet the increased demand and creates a flexible manufacturing model for us. Together, we can increase ventilator supply and help more patients and clinicians than any one company can do alone.”
Medtronic and Foxconn partnered following Medtronic ventilator open source initiative
Medtronic and Foxconn have started partnership following the public sharing of the design specifications for PB560 through the Medtronic ventilator open source initiative.
The initiative, which was launched earlier this year, is said to enable participants around the world to evaluate options for rapid ventilator manufacturing at scale, to support treatment of patients fighting Covid-19.
The compact, lightweight, and portable ventilator PB560 was introduced in 2010, and is sold in more than 35 countries around the world.
The device is capable of providing airway support for both adults and children, and can be used in clinical settings and at home for mobile respiratory support.
Foxconn Industrial Internet Wisconsin CEO Foo-Ming Fu said: “Foxconn is grateful to all front-line professionals who tirelessly work to serve others and is proud to partner with Medtronic to address this global pandemic. Foxconn’s manufacturing capabilities can bring to market life-saving medical equipment during these challenging times.
“Foxconn’s flexibility to quickly react to global markets makes opportunities with partners like this possible. In the last two months, we went from zero ventilator manufacturing capabilities to a tested, qualified ventilator manufacturing cell.”
Recently, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California has selected eight US manufacturers to produce its new ventilator, customised for Covid-19 patients.