Workers at a John Deere factory in the Quad Cities have begun making face shields for health care workers. Production began Wednesday at the Seeding Group in Moline.
Factory Manager Brad Russman says using a design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they first ordered enough materials to make 25,000.
"As we started, the needs became greater and greater and at this point we've secured material for an additional 200,000 face shields and we will continue to ramp up to higher levels of production."
Each face shield includes a piece of clear plastic, a foam pad for your forehead, and an elastic headband.
They'll be shipped to 17 Deere factories in eight states.
"So we will be handling distribution centrally out of Moline to the factories across the country and then they will distribute locally to their health care providers and networks of their choice."
For the project, the company consulted with the UAW, the Iowa Department of Homeland Security, and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.