WEG has just signed a contract with the Ministry of Health of Brazil for the supply of 950 medical ventilators to be used by Intensive Care Units (ICUs) for the Brazilian National Health System (SUS). 

The supply contract establishes scheduled deliveries where the first batch, including 200 ventilators, was already delivered last week. During the month of June, WEG will deliver another 300 units, with the remaining 450 units being delivered in July.

As previously announced on March 30th, 2020, WEG's plan was to initially produce 500 medical ventilators dedicated to the ICUs, which was a quantity estimated due to the difficulty to find imported components. However, the Company succeeded on getting a higher number of components allowing an increase of its production planning. As a result, WEG was able to fulfill the demand of the Federal Government, as well as the demand of the Government of the State of Santa Catarina.

In total, WEG will produce 1450 medical ventilators. 950 will be delivered to the Federal Government and 500 will be delivered to the Government of the State of Santa Catarina. If there will be an additional demand, and components are available on the market, WEG can expand the production of such ventilators.

“We have been working day and night, including weekends, to deliver these medical ventilators to the ICUs as quickly as possible, helping the country to minimize the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic”, says Manfred Peter Johann, Managing Director of WEG Automation Business Unit.

To allow the production of these medical ventilators, WEG had to re-arrange five factories for the production of tools, metallic valves, plastic components, metallic cabinets and electronic boards. In a highly complex operation, the company was able to set up, within approximately 30 days, a specific line to produce medical ventilators for the ICUs of Jaragua do Sul, WEG’s headquarters city.