Workers produce non-invasive ventilators at a medical technology company in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Jan. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)
POST-HOLIDAY RESUMPTION OF PRODUCTION
As of Friday, more than half of the 900-plus large industrial enterprises each with annual business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.8 million U.S. dollars) had resumed or continued operation in the economic development zone of Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, one of the country's economic powerhouses.
Epidemic prevention measures, such as body temperature checks and the use of masks for workers, were adopted in these firms. Two-thirds of the companies will resume production by Wednesday, according to the estimate by the zone management authorities.
"Our company faces a lot of difficulties at the moment, such as logistics, inventory increase and other problems," said Zhu Jianmin, chairman of Liaoning Oxiranchem, Inc., a high-tech company which produces ethylene oxide-related chemicals, based in northeast China's Liaoning Province.
"Our production has not been halted by the virus outbreak. As more companies began to reopen since Sunday, I believe the connection between the upstream and downstream will be smoother, and these problems will soon be solved," Zhu said.
INNOVATIVE MANPOWER SOLUTIONS
The extended Spring Festival holiday has also made manpower a big issue. While restaurant chain bosses are vexed at how to keep their idle employees busy, retailers are struggling with being shorthanded as online orders keep flooding in.
Data from MissFresh, which specializes in delivering fresh, pre-portioned ingredients, showed its sales soared by 350 percent year on year between Jan. 24 and Feb. 1. Sales of supermarkets and other online platforms also posted strong jumps in January.
The two industries have therefore joined hands with an innovative solution. On Feb. 3, Hema Fresh, Alibaba's fresh food chain, announced it would partner with restaurant chain Yunhaiyao to cope with staff shortage and help the latter turn the corner.
"Since the epidemic outbreak, Hema Fresh's 18 stores in Wuhan have been delivering food and daily necessities for local residents, and we are now providing such services across the country but have been shorthanded," said Hu Qiugen, general manager of operations management of Hema Fresh.
"We came up with the idea of borrowing staff at catering enterprises that have suspended operations due to the epidemic," Hu said. "These employees are bridle-wise and experienced in epidemic prevention and hygiene, so we can save time and cost compared to training fresh hands," said Hu.
