GM ventilator project
The GM Ventilator Project (2020) demonstrated the impact and necessity of speed during a logistics and supply chain crisis. So what’s the story behind the “miracle in Kikomo?”
Article Brief & Key Nuggets:
- GM proved that large supply chains could pivot at speed under pressure.
- Over 700 parts were sourced at a rapid pace from a cold start, including buying, logistics, and the Defense Production Act.
- The GM Ventec Life Systems partnership delivered 30,000 critical‑care ventilators by August 2020.
- Leaders set a clear mission, empowered fast decisions, and used digital tools for launch speed.
- African supply chains can adopt this playbook by forming cross-sector pacts, fast-tracking policy, and enhancing digital readiness.
Speed Beats Perfection in Crisis Execution
The GM ventilator project, popularly known as the “miracle in Kokomo,” transformed an idle electronics site into a ventilator plant in just 17 days, thanks to focus, trust, and swift execution.
In spring 2020, as COVID-19 cases surged and U.S. hospitals faced a ventilator shortage, General Motors repurposed an idled plant to build critical-care ventilators with Ventec Life Systems.
The effort, code-named Project V, began in mid-March when a CEO coalition connected GM CEO Mary Barra with Ventec. Barra agreed to help before any government mandate was issued.
However, the company had no pre-existing supply chain process in place, so everything had to start from scratch. Despite that fact, the GM–Ventec partnership was able to scale output from near zero to thousands per week.
On March 27, 2020, the White House invoked the Defense Production Act, giving legal priority to orders and logistics. The move reinforced GM’s early move with a $489.4 million contract for 30,000 ventilators, which were due by the end of August 2020.
GM committed to producing the devices at cost, with the contract covering materials, tooling, and plant conversion. The stage was set for a rapid industrial pivot under crisis conditions.
With priority ratings from the Defense Production Act, General Motors was able to bypass lines for parts, clear customs, and expedite interactions with suppliers.
Read more: The Failures and Success of Walmart’s RFID Mandate in 2003.
The 17-Day Transformation: From Idle Floor to Regulated Line
GM retooled Kokomo in 17 days by collapsing months of launch work into parallel sprints. Leaders set a war-room pace, removed budget friction, and enforced urgency.
As GM’s Vice President of North American Manufacturing (and Project V leader) Phil Kienle put it, the team was urged to act “as if your own family needed a ventilator – how far would you go, how fast would you move?”
Digital manufacturing tools played a critical role during the project. They cut time by validating the line virtually before building. Engineers utilized scanning, simulations, and ergonomic modeling to design workstations and optimize the test flow.
Teams built fixtures, trained people, and wrote standard work in parallel streams with speed.
Workforce mobilization and safety kept the ramp stable. GM and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union leadership aligned on staffing, shifts, and health protocols. New hires learned medical-grade discipline through clear tasks and a consistent rhythm.
Output rose within weeks, and the first units shipped in days. At peak, the plant averaged one unit every seven minutes.
Project V: GM–Ventec Ventilator Timeline (Spring–Summer 2020)
- Mar 17, 2020: StopTheSpread.org connects Mary Barra and Ventec to boost ventilator output.
- Mar 18: GM and Ventec hold their first call to explore a partnership.
- Mar 19: A GM team led by Phil Kienle visits Ventec in Washington; both sides align on urgency.
- Mar 20: GM engages its global supply base. Within 72 hours, purchasing lines up 100% of 700+ parts and dispatches supplier quality engineers—one supplier’s capacity rises 25×.
- Mar 27: The White House invokes the Defense Production Act, prioritizing GM’s ventilator program already in motion.
- Early April: GM converts the Kokomo, IN plant in 17 days. New lines, test stations, and quality systems go live; the first ventilator ships three days after opening. Apr 8: HHS formalizes an order for 30,000 units.
- Apr 17–18: The first deliveries are sent to Chicago-area hospitals and FEMA for the national stockpile.
- May 1: Ramp accelerates. ~600 units are due by week’s end; ~6,100 by June 1.
- Summer 2020: Full volume reached—about 10,000 units/month. Peak rate: roughly one ventilator every seven minutes.
- Aug 2020: GM and Ventec complete all 30,000 units on schedule (by Aug 31). Total mission time: 154 days. GM then transfers Kokomo operations to Ventec for ongoing production.
Read more: Why The $4B H&M’s Inventory Failure Happened.
Building a Supply Chain From a Cold Start: 700+ Parts, Zero Slack
The procurement and purchasing team on Project V sourced over 700 components in approximately 72 hours, including valves, sensors, boards, tubing, batteries, and housings. Teams matched parts to suppliers, qualified alternates, and sent engineers to lift capacity.
The speed was incredible for a medical supply chain.
GM and Ventec’s partnership combined medical design with auto-scaling. Ventec owned clinical requirements; GM brought buying power and launch muscle. When parts constrained the VOCSN feature set, the team pivoted to the VOCSN V+ Pro configuration.
Ceva was tasked with managing hundreds of suppliers and thousands of parts shipments, including order management, transportation, customs brokerage, and real-time monitoring.
Within 48 hours of being brought on, Ceva’s team had contacted all designated suppliers and arranged pickup schedules for parts deliveries. Nearly 85% of the suppliers were located in North America (the U.S., Canada, and Mexico), which helped shorten transit times.
Supplier quality engineers stabilized new sources; when parts failed, teams iterated and moved.
According to Dan Purvis, whose company provided ventilator testing systems for GM, “slowly but surely you get the expertise, the suppliers start to provide good parts, and the test systems start to pass things.”
Outcome and Impact: Stockpile Filled, Capability Scaled, People Inspired
The GM ventilator project showcased the company’s organizational agility and validated investments the company had made in flexible manufacturing and digital design.
GM and Ventec delivered 30,000 critical-care ventilators by August 2020. Early batches were distributed to hotspots and the Strategic National Stockpile, with the monthly rate reaching ~10,000 units. The project was seamless, and the contract finished on time.
Ventec’s capacity scaled by 80× across 2020, and the Kokomo site continued under Ventec.
GM gained public trust and internal pride. But the company had also tried and tested a new supply chain playbook.
Safety protocols, digital methods, and streamlined decision-making processes later helped restart the auto lines.
Read more: Lessons From McDonald’s & Yum Brands’ Expired Meat Disaster in China.
Lessons From the GM Ventilator Project for Logistics Leaders
- Pair experts with scale: Pre-build partnerships between product specialists and high-volume manufacturers to combine precise design with instant capacity.
- Map critical parts and alternates: Keep a live list of critical parts, approved substitutes, and backup suppliers so buyers can place parallel orders when needed.
- Push decisions to the edge: Give frontline teams spend limits, change authority, and daily targets so small issues never wait for senior sign-off.
- Secure fast freight lanes: Pre-arrange expedited trucking, guaranteed-delivery air, and hot-shot options to absorb spikes without starving stations.
- Simplify the product when parts are scarce: Ship a safe core configuration and defer non-essential features so customers get what they need now.
- Codify wins into SOPs: Turn repeatable moves into standard work and training so speed becomes routine, not one-time heroics.
How African Supply Chains Can Apply These Lessons
- Keep dual freight lanes on key corridors. Maintain a primary carrier and a pre-cleared backup with time-definite windows so mode switches take minutes, not days.
- Pre-approve supplier surge plans. Document headcount, extra shifts, and tooling shares so vendors can add output without requiring new paperwork.
- Use virtual trials before physical moves. Simulate cell changes, material flow, and ergonomics so the first build works on Day One.
- Protect buffers where they matter most. Hold targeted safety stock on A-parts and use place-and-chase on B-parts so cash stays lean and lines stay fed.
- Write, test, and store change playbooks. Keep SOPs (standard operating procedures), fixtures, and training clips in one vault so any plant can copy a win by morning.
Speed Is a Choice
The GM–Ventec project demonstrated that a complex, regulated product can scale from zero to national when leadership sets a clear mission, tools are in place, and teams have the necessary authority. Build the relationships now, practice the drills now, and choose speed now.
