Foxconn, the foundry that assembles iPhones for Apple, will develop and manufacture respirators at its US factory to help fight the new coronavirus epidemic, according to foreign media reports.

 

 

Omar Ishrak, chief executive of Medtronic Plc, said in an interview that Foxconn's plant in Wisconsin would be used to produce the ventilators.

 

In a statement on Wednesday, Foxconn confirmed the partnership with Medtronic, but did not say when or where the medical device would be manufactured.

 

There is currently a severe shortage of respirators used to treat patients infected with the new coronavirus. The collaboration between Foxconn and Medtronic covers all aspects of device design and development. Production will start within the next four to six weeks, Ishraq said, but did not disclose the exact quantities.

 

Foxconn has been producing protective masks used to curb the spread of the virus since February this year, and its subsidiary Sharp also began mass production of masks at the end of March.

 

A contract for Foxconn to set up a factory in Wisconsin was signed in late 2017 in a high-profile deal. US President Donald Trump said at the time that Foxconn would revitalise US manufacturing. Trump had helped broker the deal.

 

Since then, the factory, which was intended to produce display panels, has experienced production delays and a change in business direction, among other problems. The factory has failed to meet its first-year hiring target, with 178 full-time employees at the end of 2018.