In response to the COVID19 pandemic Enbi Group, Xerox Holdings Corporation and Vortran Medical Technology teamed up to help speed and scale production of Vortran’s GO2Vent ventilator and related Airway Pressure Monitor (APM-Plus) for hospitals and emergency response units fighting the battle against COVID-19.
The two companies worked together to quickly respond to the shortage of critical ventilation equipment necessary to support patients breathing. After establishing a stable supply of essential parts, the companies rapidly scaled up production with Enbi becoming a key supplier of performance critical components used in the GO2Vent unit.
「「Our engineers were fully engaged with Xerox to design the best materials and production method to allow the ventilator to meet the exacting specification. The challenge then became how to scale production in both our Europe and North America” said Michael McMindes – VP Global Engineering for Enbi.
Whilst the GO2 is not a replacement for ventilators found in intensive care units (ICUs), it is widely used in emergency situations, inter-hospital transport and MRIs. Given the shortage of ICU-grade ventilators, medical professionals are utilizing tools like this and other technology to support patients who do not yet or no longer need an ICU-level breathing device, which can be freed up for another patient.
John Visentin, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Xerox commented: “We want to help make sure doctors, nurses and paramedics on the frontlines have the resources they need to help the rising number of patients with COVID-19.”
Enbi was chosen due to the long-standing relationship with Xerox as well as the ability to undertake rapid prototype development and then scale up quickly in both Europe and North America.
Xerox plans to manufacture these FDA-approved ventilators and APM-Plus devices at its facility outside of Rochester, NY, (USA) where the company was founded and maintains a large presence. Vortran will continue to manufacture ventilators at its current facility in Sacramento, CA. Enbi makes Diaphragms at its plant in Rochester, NY as also in its state of the art plant in Hungary.
“The partnership with Xerox has one clear goal – to help save as many lives as possible. With Vortran’s proven technology and Xerox’s ability to hyper-scale manufacturing, we believe we can supply healthcare providers as many as 1 million ventilators in the coming months,” said Vortran Co-founder and CEO, Gordon A. Wong, M.D. “For all of us, this will be the most important thing we ever do.”
Vortran’s GO2Vent was designed for emergency use, natural disasters and disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. A gas-operated, disposable ventilator that can be set-up within minutes and discarded after use by a single patient, it provides support via a secure airway and can be operated on a compressor, oxygen or air with a minimum of 10 liters per minute flow rates. Enbi is the exclusive supplier of diaphragms used to regulate the flow of oxygen to the user.
