– video explainerThe government had placed a provisional order for 5,000 of the ESO2 ventilators from the Oxfordshire-based Penlon, which is part of the Ventilator Challenge UK consortium involving manufacturers such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce. But the formal approval on Tuesday evening means that Penlon is expected to ramp up production immediately, and could roll out hundreds of machines next week backed by Ventilator Challenge UK members. Consortium member Airbus has replicated Penlon’s production line at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility in north Wales, next to the Broughton site where it makes wings for jet aircraft. Ventilator Challenge UK has said it could be producing 1,500 ventilators a week by early May, including a separate model, the paraPac designed by Luton-based Smiths Medical. The Guardian approached Ventilator Challenge UK for comment on Tuesday evening but had not received a response by the time of publication.

Source: The Guardian April 15, 2020 18:52 UTC