Volvo Penta, Volvo CE supply PPE to health care workers

Volvo Penta and Volvo CE are producing personal protective equipment for healthcare workers in response to the coronavirus. Photo: Volvo Penta

Volvo Penta and Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) are producing personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to the coronavirus.

At two of its North American facilities, Volvo Penta is producing and distributing protective gear to healthcare workers in its local communities and beyond.

The engineering team at Volvo Penta’s U.S. headquarters in Chesapeake, Virginia, led development of medical face shields.

Utilizing a selective laser sintering 3-D printing system and leveraging mask components manufactured by other Volvo Group business areas, the company delivered face shields to Chesapeake Regional Healthcare and plans to continue production for further distribution.

At the company’s engineering office in Germantown, Wisconsin, the staff developed ear guards, which help to alleviate pain often experienced by health care workers wearing face masks.

In addition to the PPE production efforts, Volvo Penta made a charitable donation to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia & Eastern Shore.

“Together with our colleagues from Volvo Group North America, we are honored to support relief efforts and help protect those serving on the front lines of this pandemic,” says Martin Bjuve, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas.

At Volvo CE

Volvo CE, meanwhile, prototyped and delivered more than 1,600 face shields and ear guards for local health care providers and first responders in Pennsylvania towns such as Shippensburg, Chambersburg, Carlisle and surrounding regions.

The Shippensburg task force connected WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital with potential vendors to supply it with 100,000 surgical masks. The site is also collecting bleach and disinfectants for local EMS departments.

Additional Volvo CE employees are getting involved by writing personal notes of encouragement that are added to the delivery boxes.

“It is no longer ‘business as usual’ for Volvo CE or for our healthcare community,” says Tony Zambito, road director at Volvo CE. “This grassroots effort shows how our industry is able to make an impact in unprecedented ways and demonstrates the character of our employees.”

Both Volvo Penta’s and Volvo CE’s efforts feed into the broader Volvo Group North America pandemic outreach. The group provides financial aid, medical supplies, purchasing expertise and other donations to nonprofits in multiple locations across the United States and Canada.

Tens of thousands of PPE units are being donated from Volvo Group North America sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Quebec, the company adds.