Corporate flexibility regarding COVID-19 by Mercedes and Ferrari

The designs of a new breathing aid developed by engineers at the Mercedes Formula One team, University College London, and clinicians at college’s Hospital have been made freely available to support the global response to COVID-19. At the same time, Ferrari helps with the coronavirus pandemic fighting, as they have begun to produce respirator valves and fittings for protective masks at their Maranello factory.

   The two of the most famous and historical motorsport teams on Formula One have recently made new projects as an effort to help fight coronavirus. The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices, which help coronavirus patients with lung infections to breathe more easily, were developed by advanced engineers at the Mercedes team.

   Due to their human resource expertise recording high-efficiency rates under pressure, it took fewer than 100 hours from the initial meeting to production of the first device.

   The latter received regulatory approval and an order for up to 10,000 has been placed by the British National Health Service. The Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains technology center in Brixworth where the F1 team’s highly successful power units are developed and built, has a building capacity of 1,000 devices per day.

   Additionally, in March, 2020, the family who control the Ferrari Formula 1 team and road car business, as well as the FIAT Chrysler company and Juventus football club, announced a series of measures to help, including a 10 million euros donation to the authorities dealing with the crisis, sourcing 150 ventilators, and providing vehicles to the Italian Red Cross.

   The red company has set its legendary Maranello factory to work to help battle the virus. The department is now producing respirator valves and fittings for masks, to allow health workers to treat coronavirus patients, and help the patients themselves. Ferrari is producing these thermoplastic components using advanced additive manufacturing technology.

   The company plans to manufacture several hundred items of equipment that are already being distributed by some of the companies involved, with the coordination of the Italian Civil Protection, to various Italian hospitals.