Honda Begins Making Vital Ventilator Parts for Dynaflo to Help COVID-19 Patients

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, April 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda has begun producing and delivering critical components for the production of much-needed ventilators to Dynaflo Inc. of Reading, Penn. Honda teamed up with Dynaflo to increase Dynaflo's production of diaphragm compressors, a key component of portable ventilators that are used in hospitals and by first responders throughout the country to help those stricken with the COVID-19 virus. The companies are aiming to produce 10,000 compressors per month once production reaches capacity. Honda and Dynaflo expect to maintain production of compressors through the end of August.

"Honda associates have successfully transformed a portion of our technical training center into an assembly line that will help support the urgent need to produce ventilator components," said Rick Schostek, Executive Vice President, Honda North Ameri, Inc. "With our supply of these key components to Dynaflo, we hope to help address one of the most pressing needs within the COVID-19 crisis."

Honda has transformed a 6,000-sq. ft. area of its Technical Development Center in Marysville, Ohio into a space for associates to assemble the compressors. The process was developed using production know-how from Honda's experienced manufacturing associates, including parts tracking, build timing, quality checks and lot control. These practices were essential in enabling Honda associates to quickly ramp up production over the first weeks of the project while maintaining social distancing protocols.

Dynaflo had been making these state-of-the-art compressors at the rate of about 75 per week prior to the COVID-19 crisis. In order to increase its production capacity in response to the pandemic, Dynaflo required substantial help. To this end, Dynaflo and Honda partnered with Stop the Spread, a coalition of more than 1500 volunteer CEOs working in Washington, D.C. and around the U.S. to catalyze actions and support the government in response to COVID-19. Stop the Spread connected Dynaflo to Honda and the two companies teamed up to meet this critical need for more portable ventilators.  

"Being connected to Honda of America has been a Godsend," said William Fleming, President of Dynaflo. "Combining our diaphragm compressor technology with Honda's expertise in mass production is a perfect combination to help meet the needs of this crisis."

To ensure consistency and quality, Honda associates have worked closely with Dynaflo personnel to learn best practices in compressor assembly. The training has provided Honda associates the ability to build and quality test the devices prior to shipping.

About Honda in North America
Honda established operations in America in 1959 and today develops, manufactures, and sells Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda power equipment, Honda powersports products, the HondaJet advanced light jet and GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines. Based on its longstanding commitment to "build products close to the customer," Honda operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America, working with more than 785 suppliers in the region to produce a diverse range of products for customers locally and globally. Honda also operates 14 major research and development centers in the U.S. with the capacity to fully design, develop and engineer many of the products Honda produces in North America. Honda products are made in America using domestic and globally-sourced parts.

About Dynaflo
Dynaflo is a small company in Reading, PA that designs, manufactures, and sells high performance vacuum pumps and compressors, based mainly on diaphragm technology. Dynaflo has been creating customized solutions to vacuum and compressor challenges in a multitude of industries, ranging from biomedical to vacuum lifting and air sampling – among others. 

About Stop the Spread
Stop the Spread is a coalition of volunteer CEOs working in DC and around the US to catalyze actions and support our government in response to COVID-19. Their goal is to connect businesses and organizations that are best-positioned to address critical needs during this public health crisis, often in innovative or unexpected ways. Stop the Spread then supports those businesses to do what they do best: scale products and services that can help the American public. 

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SOURCE Honda