On Mar. 24, 2020, 3M and Ford Motor announced a partnership to increase the production of 3M’s powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs). 3M had doubled its global output of N95 respirators to a rate of more than 1.1 billion per year, or nearly 100 million per month.

3M’s powered air purifying respirators use a waist-mounted, battery-powered blower that sends filtered air into a hood that helps provide respiratory protection for workers, including those in healthcare.