John Deere manufacturing face shields for health care workers in coronavirus fight

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John Deere has begun manufacturing face shields for health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 coronavirus response.

Deere says it began an initial run of 25,000 face shields on April 8 at its Seeding Group facility in Moline, Illinois.

Deere is collaborating with United Auto Workers, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association to produce the masks. The face shields themselves are an open-source design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In addition to manufacturing the face shields, Deere says it has also launched a website intended to share open-source specifications for other equipment needed for the coronavirus response such as 3D-printed clips to affix face shields to protective bump caps.

The company has also made personal protective equipment donations to health care facilities, instituted a 2:1 match program to encourage employee donations to local food banks and the American Red Cross, and has had employees volunteer to sew cloth masks for community members.

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