Please read the short accounting article and answer the prompt question.

* From a quantitive point of view, as Ford restarts car production, why would they continue to produce medical supplies? When would it make sense for the company to end their production of medical supplies and just focus on the production of cars? State two qualitative problems you believe Ford should consider before it stops producing medical supplies.

Ford Ramps Up Medical Supplies, But Make No Mistake, Restarting Car And Truck Production Is Still Job One

Restarting North American car and truck production is very much on the minds of auto manufacturers, even though theres no consensus yet when thats likely to be, and even as the factories are still ramping up emergency production of critically needed medical supplies, like masks and face shields, to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ford Motor Co., for instance, said in a press conference on April 13 it continues to pursue both goals: getting ready to launch new models like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the new Ford Bronco, and mass-producing medical supplies at the same time.

We dont see any impact of this. We have been thoughtful about the fact that we do have a core business, and that when we restart, we have to be hitting on all cylinders, said Jim Baumbick, vice president, Ford Enterprise Product Line Management.

To produce medical supplies, Ford and other automakers, such as General Motors, have stuck as closely as possible to existing automotive components that can be repurposed and produced in large quantities. Ford, for example, has one of its suppliers producing waterproof isolation gowns using material thats normally used to make air bags.

Starting from scratch less than a month ago, Ford and airbag supplier Joyson Safety Systems expect to reach weekly production of 75,000 gowns by the start of next week, and 100,000 gowns per week by the week of April 19. By July 4, Joyson will cut and sew 1.3 million gowns, Ford said.

For a time, once the industry starts back up again, it will make sense for Ford to continue producing medical products and vehicles at the same time. Thats because the most likely scenario is that auto production will resume while theres still a need to practice social distancing and to wear protective gear in the factories themselves.

In the long run, Ford has no ambition to stay in the medical-equipment business, Baumbick said.

Separately, experts said in a recent webinar hosted by the Center for Automotive Research, Ann Arbor, Mich., that restarting auto production is likely to be a slow, methodical, painstaking process, based on the experience of restarting production in China.

China was a very, very, slow startup, even though China had the benefit, in this context, of unified directives from the central government, said Jim Tobin, CMO of giant, Canada-based auto supplier Magna International and president of Magna Asia.

Discipline is the key to success, Tobin said in the webinar on April 8. A key, fundamental difference between China and the rest of the countries were talking about is that in China they mandate things. Here, we are going to ask people to do things.