When the federal government tapped Hamilton Medical to produce tens of thousands of ventilators for COVID-19 patients, the company turned to its long-term partner Raumedic for a special silicone adhesive.

The adhesive is solvent- and plasticizer-free, easy to use and bonds silicones to each other and to other materials, such as metal or plastics, according to Raumedic. The single-component adhesive is used for parts of the housing of the Hamilton-T1 critical care transport ventilator and helps to increase resistance to demanding environmental conditions.

The ventilator shortage prompted the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to award one of the largest contracts to Bonaduz, Switzerland-based Hamilton Medical. The first step in meeting the  goal was to step-up existing production in Switzerland. To reach the target, Hamilton announced it would open a factory in Reno, Nev.

“Initially, we asked our Swiss colleagues who their suppliers were and so we were put in contact with Raumedic AG in Germany,” said Hamilton Medical CEO Bob Hamilton in a news release. “We were very pleased when they informed us that Raumedic already has a manufacturing plant in the U.S., in North Carolina.”

Rather than offshoring production and lengthening the supply chain, Raumedic deliberately choose to invest in manufacturing in America to react to U.S. customers on short notice, according to the company. Being able to work with a team in the same time zone and with a similar outlook on the market helped to keep the project moving as quickly as possible.

“I think that all medtech companies want to make a contribution to the fight against the coronavirus,” said Raumedic president & CEO Martin Bayer. “So, we jumped at the chance to connect with Hamilton in the USA and get them what they needed as quickly as possible.”