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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put enormous pressure on healthcare systems around the world, a group of UK businesses in the aerospace, automotive, and medical sectors has come together to ramp up production of one of the most important devices in the battle against COVID-19—the medical ventilator.

For most, it begins—and ends—in the lungs. COVID-19 is, after all, a respiratory disease. As the virus enters the lungs, it causes inflammation and infection, filling air pockets in the lungs with fluid and making it difficult to breathe.

We saw, and continue to see, this deadly virus wreak havoc in hospitals around the world: from the medieval town of Lodi in Italy to the famous streets of New York City, from the Chinese province of Hubei to cities in Metro Manila. With more than eight million confirmed cases across the globe, the spread of COVID-19 is stretching the resources, capacity, and manpower of healthcare facilities. Doctors have had to make the agonizing choice of prioritizing which patient to care for, as though we are a world at war.

A call to arms: the VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium

In the battle against COVID-19, a medical ventilator can be the best chance for survival, helping a severely ill patient breathe by moving air in and out of the lungs. But ventilators and trained staff are limited. Last March, a consortium of UK industrial, technology, and engineering businesses came together to produce more than 15,000 medical ventilators for the British government. It is a vast, commendable undertaking, uniting the resources and expertise of both the public and private sectors towards one goal: saving lives.

Surface Technology International (STI) Ltd, a subsidiary of IMI in the United Kingdom, is one of the companies that has stepped up to the challenge. In the picturesque town of Hook in northern Hampshire, four hundred employees are working around the clock at STI headquarters to produce hundreds of ventilators made by Penlon and Smiths Medical, with STI aiming to ramp up output to 1,500 units per week.

In an interview with BBC South Today, an employee shares, “We don’t mind putting in extra hours. We just want it to be built as quickly as possible.” Another employee adds, “When they’re loading up the lorries [trucks], it’s good. We know they’re going out, hopefully, to help people.”

Three Filipinos spend their weekends contributing to this important endeavor. Cebu-based component engineer Franz Corro and machine specialists Miraluna Toloreso and Rowena Lanojan were among the 14 employees chosen by Surface Technology International, Ltd. (STI Ltd) in Cebu to train at their headquarters in Hook.

This exchange program of IMI and STI is an opportunity for employees to gain global experience and a broader perspective of the industry. At this point in history, it also allows Corro, Toleroso, and Lanojan to be part of an important and worthy cause. They play key roles in the final stages of ventilator production, meticulously assembling and inspecting the parts of each unit before they are dispatched for testing and sent to the quality control facility.

“Here, everybody really wants to get involved,” says Nick Davey, Chief Technology Officer for IMI and STI. “We’re really motivated to beat this pandemic and truly appreciate the extended efforts of our Filipino trainees. It’s pure dedication. It’s immense quality. It’s commitment. Filipinos just deliver—to the highest level of quality.”

A shift in focus: companies pivot to join the fight

In the United States,  General Motors has teamed up with Ventec Life Systems to build VOCSN critical care ventilators.  In France, luxury brand LVMH converted three of its perfume manufacturing facilities to produce and deliver hand sanitizers to French hospitals. Last March, The Armani Group announced that all of its plants in Italy would shift to the production of single-use medical overalls. In the Philippines, a group of Filipino fashion designers led by London-based Mich Dulce created the country’s first medically reviewed personal protective equipment (PPE) suit design.

Free of corporate agendas, disregarding profit, and with a strong sense of urgency, companies across the globe are using their resources and capabilities for the greater good. In this global war against COVID-19, one can only hope that the honor and compassion that lies within the human spirit will emerge triumphant.