Demand for Ventilators Could Reach 10 to 15 Times that of Pre-COVID-19 Levels - Medical Tubing Manufacturers Ramp Up Production to Meet Demand

April 15, 2020

Graham Engineering Corporation Accelerates Delivery of ULTRA Extruders to Address Spike in Production by Medical Tubing Manufacturers

The COVID-19 crisis has generated a sharp upsurge in production capacity requirements for ventilator tubing, causing Graham Engineering Corporation to speed up processes for delivering extruders to the marketplace.

“In the past three weeks we have seen a strong uptick in orders and inquiries from businesses in North America and the Asia-Pacific looking to add capacity for ventilator tubing,” said David Madar, strategic medical market manager for Graham Engineering. “We are responding by validating available inventory, turning quotes instantly, and committing to extruder supply through accelerated delivery. Now more than ever we are here to support the needs of our medical device customers globally, at a time when demands on the medical supply chain have never been greater.”

The expanded production of ventilators is part of the worldwide increase in the manufacture of medical devices to fight COVID-19. Governments and companies are executing elaborate plans to deploy funding and resources for expanding or re-tooling existing operations. Ventilators are essential for supporting patients most severely impacted by the virus.

“In the United States alone, ventilator demand could be as high at ten to fifteen times pre-pandemic levels, significantly outpacing the strategic stockpile and current production capacity,” said Gina Haines, chief marketing officer of Graham Engineering. 

Ventilator tubing kits are supplied to hospitals as single-use breathing circuits. A key component of the circuit is corrugated tubing, typically made of medical grade polyethylene or EVA. In adult kits, the standard inside diameter of the tubing is 22mm.

Graham Engineering Corporation’s American Kuhne product line is a recognized leader in medical extrusion systems, with a 20-year serving the segment and an installed base of over 500 systems at more than 100 customers in 20 countries. Its systems are designed to extrude tubing and wire jacketing used in medical devices and delivery systems from all medical-grade thermoplastics, including single- and multi-lumen, braided, embedded linear wire, corrugated, and taper tubing.