Supply Shortage Sourced from China Plagues Ford’s Ventilator Production

While Ford and GE Healthcare plan to ramp up production of ventilators in a joint Michigan-based venture, the corporations lack adequate supply categories needed for the project, Breitbart News has learned.

A call between the White House and Ford executives on Tuesday revealed a hole in Ford’s plan to produce 50,000 in 100 days at its Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Sources with knowledge of the call told Breitbart News that Ford executives admitted they have a shortage of about 20 to 30 supply categories.

The issue, sources said, was due to Ford’s insistence on maintaining their existing overseas supply chains, which do not have the capacity to meet the immediate and huge demand that has been pledged by President Trump’s administration. Many of those existing supply chains are out of China and India.

Meanwhile, industry insiders say there are at least 2,000 small to medium-sized American manufacturers that have the capacity to aid in the Ford-GE Healthcare venture. These manufacturers say they have not been contacted, though they can readily supply materials.

“Why are so many American manufacturers not being contacted,” an industry insider asked Breitbart News.

Some of these manufacturers include Brown Jig Grinding Company out of Wixom, Michigan; Leading Edge Cutting Solutions out of Waterford Township, Michigan; and SK International out of Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Outside of the Ford-GE Healthcare venture, some American manufacturers have already answered the call from ventilator producers.

Greg Kaplan of K&C Machining, out of Wood Dale, Illinois, told Breitbart News he is increasing his production seven-fold of the metal components that go into ventilators after Philips approached him.

“This is a major undertaking,” Kaplan said.

Nearly all of the materials for these Philips ventilators are sourced from the U.S. Their circuit boards, though, continue to be sourced from China, with some assembly in India.

Ford and the White House did not respond to a request for comment in time for this publication.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.