- Arçelik, which owns Beko and Grundig, collaborated with leading Turkish businesses to produce the life-saving ventilators on a not-for-profit basis
- Ventilators have been provided to countries including Brazil, Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Azerbaijan, Libya, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Dagestan and Syria
- 300 ventilators a day were manufactured at Arçelik’s Çerkezköy electronics factory
- The devices are compatible with International Standards of Electromagnetic compatibility and safety
Europe’s leading consumer durables player, Arçelik, which owns Beko and Grundig, has completed production of 5,000 life-saving mechanical ventilators. 300 devices a day were manufactured at its Çerkezköy electronics on a not-for-profit basis to meet domestic and international demand.
2,866 of these ventilators have been sent to 14 countries including some of the hardest hit countries, such as Brazil, which reported a record number of infections in a single day, and Somalia, which had no ventilators in April. The devices have also been sent to Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Azerbaijan, Libya, UAE, Uzbekistan, Dagestan, Syria, Afghanistan, Romania and Bangladesh.
Arçelik joined forces with BioSys, who developed the original design, defence firm Aselsan and aviation company Baykar Technologies to produce the mechanical ventilators, in a collective effort led by the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Health.
The project began in April. A team of 120 engineers designed and tested the initial prototype at Arçelik Garage, an open innovation centre in Istanbul in just 2 weeks.
Hakan Bulgurlu, CEO of Arçelik, says: “We’re incredibly proud to have played a role in this project, which shows what can be achieved when we come together for the greater good. At Arçelik we want to be part of the solution; working collectively with businesses and governments to fight COVID-19 globally and shape a more sustainable future on the other side.”