Several industrialists not belonging to the world of health are mobilizing to participate in the "war effort", by providing equipment to medical personnel. This is the case for the aviation group Safran. “We took this initiative because we can help caregivers. But our products, military and aeronautical masks as well as emergency respirators, are not, unlike medical masks, disposable products. They must enter into a decontamination protocol before being reused, ”explains Philippe Petitcolin, CEO of Safran.
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The manufacturer is in close contact with the ministries of health, the armed forces and Bercy. Safran offers two types of masks. The first are very covering military equipment, called NBC masks, intended for soldiers of the army. They are part of the infantrymen's Felin equipment and are designed to be used in contaminated environments, especially in the event of bacteriological warfare. "We have delivered some 20,000 copies to the General Directorate of Armaments and are looking with the Ministry of the Armed Forces if these products can be adapted for medical purposes," said Alexandre Ziegler, director of international and institutional affairs for Safran. The other masks are aeronautical products, designed for airline pilots and crews in the event of depressurization of the aircraft or smoke in the cabin and cockpit. Third product proposed, cartridges filtering and purifying the air, which could be adapted to masks produced by other manufacturers. Finally, portable emergency respirators on board airliners, on which it is possible to connect two masks. Safran claims to be able to produce 100 to 150 per week in its American factories.
A European task force
"The challenge is to adapt these products to medical uses," insists Alexandre Ziegler. Tests and evaluations, the results of which are expected in the coming days, are underway at the Percy military hospital. Safran is also ready to provide other manufacturers with production capacities for parts for respirators in its French precision mechanics and micro-electronics workshops.
At the same time, the company is participating alongside 30 European industrialists, including Airbus, BMW, Air Liquide, Siemens and SMEs, in an initiative launched by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market . The aim is to form a cross-sectoral European task force which will make available production resources, manufacture and deliver masks and respirators to EU countries, targeting the most critical regions.