From IPS to PPE

Volvo Penta is manufacturing personal protective equipment at two of its North American facilities.

The efforts are part of a Volvo Group North America initiative to supply thousands of PPE units to health care operations across the country.

The Volvo Penta engineering team at the company’s U.S. headquarters office in Chesapeake, Va., is developing face shields using a 3-D printing system and leveraging mask components manufactured by other Volvo Group business areas.

The company said in a statement that it has delivered shields to Chesapeake Regional Healthcare and plans to continue producing them for further distribution.

Volvo Penta’s Germantown, Wis., engineering office is developing ear guards to help alleviate the pain caused wearing face masks.

“Together with our colleagues from Volvo Group North America, we are honored to support relief efforts and help protect those serving on the front lines of this pandemic,” Martin Bjuve, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas, said in the statement.