UPS Shipping First Ventilators From GM Facility to Hospitals
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ATLANTA — UPS is shipping ventilators made in a General Motors facility to hospitals in the Chicago area.
The Atlanta-based shipping giant said it is delivering the first ventilators produced by GM and Ventec Life Systems at a facility in Kokomo, Ind., to hospitals in Chicago and Olympia Field, Ill.
The shipments of ventilators to treat patients with the coronavirus were scheduled to arrive April 17 and 18.
GM shifted its advanced electronics facility in Kokomo to medical device production under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to produce 30,000 ventilators by the end of August.
UPS also this week donated 10,000 N95 respirator masks for hospitals in Georgia, delivering them April 16 to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. The company said it already has enough masks for its employees and was able to donate the surplus.
Separately, UPS added more than 200 air cargo flights this month for Project Airbridge, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s airlift initiative to ship test kits, personal protective equipment and other supplies. Most of the shipments are going from Asia to the U.S. and Europe.
UPS has also shipped millions of 3M masks and 250 drums of hand sanitizer to the healthcare industry.
“We are delivering life-saving goods and basic necessities our customers need for their businesses and families,” UPS CEO David Abney said in a written statement.
UPS ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America and No. 2 on the TT Top 50 list of the largest logistics companies.
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