# Are they still making ventilators in repurposed factories?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-they-still-making-ventilators-in-repurposed-factories/923372>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [October 20, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-they-still-making-ventilators-in-repurposed-factories/923372 "2020-10-20T01:08:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-they-still-making-ventilators-in-repurposed-factories/923372/1 "2020-10-20T01:08:04Z")

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In the months after our introduction to the pandemic, some otherwise slow factories were repurposed to make ventilators, [particularly in the automotive sector](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ford-and-gm-are-undertaking-a-warlike-effort-to-produce-ventilators-it-may-fall-short-and-come-too-late/ar-BB12acKh). Much was said about how fast these production lines were converted to make vents and we were all able to bask in satisfaction of our American ingenuity. Are these factories still making ventilators?

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-they-still-making-ventilators-in-repurposed-factories/923372/2 "2020-10-21T02:30:06Z")

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bump…

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**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2020, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-they-still-making-ventilators-in-repurposed-factories/923372/3 "2020-10-21T06:35:11Z")

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Apparently they’ve decided there are enough.

[GM, Ford wrap up ventilator production and shift back to auto business • TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/01/gm-ford-wrap-up-ventilator-production-and-shift-back-to-auto-business/#:~:text=Eventually%2C%20GM%20reached%20a%20%24490,device%20that%20has%20400%20parts).

plus, from August

> **[The U.S. forced major manufacturers to build ventilators. Now they’re piling...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/18/ventilators-coronavirus-stockpile/)**
>
> Some suppliers delivered ahead of schedule. Others, like Ford, faced production delays.

While warehouses of unused ventilators is not ideal, it did show a level of responsiveness to what was considered a critical early need for coronavirus care. It hopefully also got people thinking about how they can proactively develop and test 3d printing templates for all sorts of emergency equipment that can be rapidly outsourced in the event of emergencies.

While covid has been touted as a once in a century pandemic, its not true, and we are likely to be responding to other global pandemics within our generation or our kids. Hopefully there will be better leadership and foresight as the one by-product of all the death and suffering currently going on.