Mack converts the production to PDI, against CoronaVirus

In response to sustained demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) as a result of COVID-19, Mack Trucks donated about 500 pieces of PPE that it manufactured at its Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania.

Many are the associations and non-profit organizations that have worked hard to help people and families affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mack Truck also wanted to make a contribution.

The Lehigh Valley Operations production facility decided to bring its engineers together to see what and how they could help. The answer was 3D technology. The decision was about production of face shield headbands utilizing its 3D printer, as well as hand-crafted assembly at LVO, where all Mack Class 8 vehicles for North America and export are built. Mack first produced PPE for employees and has since donated about 500 pieces to various organizations, including Lehigh Valley Health Network, Lehigh Center, Kirkland Village, Westminister Village and The Easton Home. Mack will donate more as the PPE pieces are produced, based on demand in the community.

“For nearly 120 years, Mack has risen to the challenge of fulfilling vital needs, most recently through the production of PPE. The Mack team is committed to doing what we can to help the communities in which we live and work, and I’m very proud of our LVO employees for stepping up to produce PPE during the coronavirus pandemic”,

said Rickard Lundberg, vice president and general manager at LVO.

Production has recently expanded to include 3D printed ear guards offered to all employees, who, of course, already wore face masks. Thanks to hard work, Mack donated its PPE products (masks, gloves and goggles) to St. Luke’s University Health Network, South Mountain Memory Care, Success Rehabilitation and Maxim Healthcare Services at the beginning of this spring.

But Mack’s service to the community is not over. Mack recently donated $10,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania to help those with food insecurity, who “obtain food and distribute it to people in need through area non-profits, and to provide resources for education and advocacy to end hunger”.

In Greensboror, NC, to assist those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Mack Trucks and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) are partnering with the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) to deliver vital supplies, such as food and personal-care items, to nonprofit organizations who distribute these goods locally. As the response to the coronavirus pandemic began impacting traditional distribution efforts, Feed the Children began looking for solutions to ensure its tens of thousands of pounds of food and beverages, personal care, and in meanwhile the ATA’s Share the Road and Workforce Heroeshad been postponed or cancelled due to shelter-in-place requirements and other safety precautions.

Two model year 2019 Mack Anthem models, which Mack provided to the ATA as part of its sponsorship of the Share the Road and Workforce Heroes programs, are now delivering shipments of supplies between nonprofit organizations, including Feed the Children and Joshua’s Heart Foundation, among others. Professional truck drivers from ATA member companies have volunteered their time to make the deliveries.

“In good times and bad, the trucking industry moves nearly three-quarters of our nation’s freight, helping ensure crucial supplies are delivered where they are needed. Working in partnership with ATA and ALAN enables us to more effectively marshal resources and deliver supplies to organizations addressing the needs of local communities across the country.” ,

said Martin Weissburg, Mack Trucks’s president.
Mack and ATA will continue to coordinate transport solutions with ALAN until demand subsides.

Source: Mack