Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), the industry-led organization behind Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, today announced it has invested more than $21 million in projects that will lead to the production in Canada of critically needed technologies, equipment, and medical devices to aid in the fight against COVID-19.

General Motors Canada is preparing portions of its iconic Oshawa plant to produce face masks for health care professionals and other Canadians.

CCM Hockey is now making protective hoods for healthcare workers in Canada, and the company promises that the cutting-edge design is “game-changing.”

The National Research Council of Canada is looking for made in Canada alternative solutions for the industrial production of efficient filtration material to be used for manufacturing N95 respirators and surgical masks. Companies able to meet the challenge could receive up to $6 million in funding.

Automotive suppliers participating in a global survey said the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is hitting their operations, with major uncertainty about what’s next.

Siemens announced in response to the ongoing global health crisis caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, Siemens is making its Additive Manufacturing (AM) Network along with its 3D printers, available to the global medical community to speed design and production of medical components.

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) will invest $50 million in Supercluster funding to support companies as they rapidly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by building a Canadian supply of essential equipment, products, and therapeutics.

Clearly, manufacturing is being affected by COVID-19, with supply chains being disrupted, key customers being affected (airlines alone project $113 billion of lost revenue globally), and turmoil in financial markets. So, what to do?

A new ‘Ontario Together’ web portal will enable businesses to more easily mobilize and redeploying capacity toward making ventilators, protective masks, and swabs for virus testing.

Manufacturing has been in the middle of the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) from the start. The impact is expanding as the virus spreads.