01 Investigation
Written by: Li Yinglin
2020-06-02 19:52
Last update date: 2020-06-02 19:53After the outbreak of new pneumonia, many private companies have invested in setting up production lines in Hong Kong, but different mask factories have different experiences.
The production progress of the "local good cover" that was pre-sold a few months ago was not as expected, and it failed to ship as scheduled, and a "bitter master group" appeared online. The person in charge can't help but point out that there are problems with the machine and technology. The production volume once reached the target of 5%. It took nearly two months to increase the production capacity and hoped to complete the shipment in June.
The Good Mask, which was officially released recently, has not announced the details of the establishment of the factory as early as other mask factories. However, with some efforts, it has successfully obtained the ASTM Level 3 certification and the operation has been on track.
In the early days of the outbreak, a large number of Hong Kong people braved the cold wind to queue up and found it difficult to find a mask. Many companies then set up factories in Hong Kong to produce masks. The social enterprise local good hood announced production and online pre-sale in early March. Its founder was interviewed at the time that the machine could be put into production when it arrived in Hong Kong and shipped to the pre-ordered citizens at the end of April. The monthly output is expected to reach 10 million in May.
The local social masks of social enterprises are expected to be shipped to the citizens who pre-ordered masks at the end of April, but the founders Xuan Yanxun (left) and Xu Tianhao said that the technical problems prevented the plan from proceeding as scheduled. (Photo by Li Yinglin)
The actual output of machinery purchased in the Mainland is not as expected
However, after the original shipping time, a large number of citizens still did not receive the mask. "We have to say sorry to the pre-ordered customers first." The founder Xu Tianhao explained: "We encountered various problems and delayed shipping. It was totally unexpected." The incident attracted controversy. Some people even set up a "Leadership Alliance" on social platforms to report the incident to the Consumer Council and Customs.
After the two fully automatic mask machines purchased from the Mainland arrived in Hong Kong, their actual output was different from what was claimed. "It was a miserable beginning." Another founder Xuan Yanxun described it this way, saying: "It cannot be said that he (the machine manufacturer) deceived people. Under long-term adjustment, the machine can indeed reach its claimed output at a certain moment. Although it has long been foreseen that technical problems will occur and staff members are prepared to deal with them, the actual situation is more complicated than they thought.
The actual output of the two automatic mask machines purchased from the mainland is different from what the factory claims, and the adjustment is not smooth. (Photo by Liu Xiaolang)
The original machine technicians could not go to Hong Kong for repair
The process of adjusting the machine was not smooth, and due to the seriousness of the epidemic, the original technicians could not go to Hong Kong to repair it in person. The local Hoho only asked local engineers for help. "There are not many people who have experience in manufacturing mask factories in Hong Kong, and engineers only know about how the machine works." The factory operates 24 hours, and the machine is worn out from time to time. Sometimes after the engineer leaves, it is up to the staff to repair the machine that failed again. , "We also use the only mechanical knowledge to maintain, and learn by hand." Yanyan Xun said.
However, the automatic mask machine is not as convenient as imagined. Xu Tianhao pointed to many "trouble spots". If any part is wrong, the whole machine must be stopped. For example, he said that the purchase of fabrics and ear straps of inappropriate size and texture caused problems with the machine: "If it gets stuck, even a few masks will be reimbursed. When it happens, it will be shut down and the output will be greatly reduced." The breakdown will consume the raw materials, Xuan Yanxun added that at the beginning of the global grabbing of raw materials for masks, he also bought another unsuitable fabric because he was anxious.
It took two months, and the production capacity of the local good masks has been increased to 20% of the original order. Nissan produces about 700 boxes of masks. It is expected that the shipment will be completed before the end of June. (Photo by Li Yinglin)
The progress of the two production lines is seriously lagging behind. By mid-April, the production volume of local good masks can only reach 5% of the original order. Xu Tianhao pointed out that the factory hopes to increase production as soon as possible, and later added an additional mask machine and named it It is a "social welfare machine", and the masks it produces will all belong to the social welfare institution. After nearly two months of adjustments, the production capacity of local good masks has now been increased to 20% of the original plan, with a daily production of about 700 boxes of masks, but the investment has greatly increased to 7 million Hong Kong dollars.
Delayed shipments cause dissatisfied employees to be bullied by the Internet
The delay in shipment made some pre-ordered citizens unhappy, and they complained to the factory one after another, some people formed a "bitter alliance" online, and even released the private telephones of local hood employees. "Someone said that if we call a colleague, we will immediately ship the goods and refund the money. As a result, the colleague will resign immediately." Yanyan Xun and Xu Tianhao admitted that they did not reserve enough manpower to deal with the order at the beginning, so that consumers felt ignored. .
The delay in shipments dissatisfied some people who pre-ordered. Some people even formed a complaint online to form a complaint. Su Yanxun (left) and Xu Tianhao admitted that they did not reserve enough manpower to deal with the order at first. (Photo by Li Yinglin)
The production process was full of twists and turns, but for the decision to set up the factory, Yanyan Xun said that he could not say that he regretted it: "We have never thought that it will evolve into this. Our original intention is to do something for Hong Kong people." He also pointed out that the factory is now It has hired additional staff to handle customer service and increase production. It is expected that shipments will be completed by the end of June, and masks will continue to be produced afterwards.
Hope to provide the highest quality certification for the medical care Good Mask
Local good masks hit the wall everywhere, but there were also mask factories that overcame the difficulties and gradually got on track. Good Mask, which was officially launched at the end of May, has a plant of about 7,000 square feet in Tai Po Industrial Village. There are 12 production lines, one of which is used to produce Zhongtong masks. Li Bingfeng, one of the founders, said that the plant is currently operating 24 hours a day, producing about 5600,000 masks per day, and has obtained ASTM Level 3 and EN14683 Type IIR certification, reaching the top standards in the United States and the European Union.
The masks produced by Good Mask have obtained ASTM Level 3 and EN14683 Type IIR certification. Founder Li Bingfeng pointed out that they hope that the masks can be supplied to medical staff. (Photo by Wang Haitu)
"In addition to believing that Hong Kong people know how to choose, I also hope that masks can be supplied to medical staff." Speaking of the certification that Good Mask obtained is much higher than the local mask factory, Li Bingfeng, who was originally engaged in pharmacy, explained. He recalled that when atypical pneumonia raged in Hong Kong, many frontline medical staff were infected and even killed, so he hoped to produce high protective masks.
Take a quick test before purchasing fabrics and spend a month to adjust the first mask machine
In order to produce high-protection masks, Li Bingfeng pointed out that the requirements for purchasing fabrics are quite high. When looking at the "goods office", he will also hold the Filtration Tester (filter rate tester) to test the quality of the fabrics.
However, the production process of Good Mask is not smooth, and it has faced technical problems like the local good mask. Li Bingfeng pointed out that after dismantling parts from the mainland and Taiwan to Hong Kong, the reassembly of the masks became a major problem. "If the position of the assembly is incorrect, it may only be slightly out of alignment. The loading frame and the position of the filming are a bit different. It will also lead to the wrong position of the fabric." He pointed directly at the machine, "a cigarette" at the beginning, spent many nights in the factory overnight, and spent nearly a month before adjusting the first mask machine. After absorbing experience, the rest of the machines are also started.
A total of 12 production lines are set up in the factory building in Tai Po Industrial Village, which is currently operating 24 hours a day and produces about 5600,000 masks per day. (Photo by Wang Haitu)
Facing the current emergence of local mask brands in the market, he said that he expected to have competition, but he believed that the local market was still not saturated. At this stage, he hopes to satisfy Hong Kong people's demand for masks, and then consider export masks: "We hope that everyone will talk about When I go to a mask made in Hong Kong, I think of Good Mask."
[Interview] The local science and technology forces must develop a melt-blown cloth machine
【Pneumonia masks】Three tricks to learn masks 01 to teach your company to read and understand CE, FDA certification
[Pneumonia masks] Random inspection of 40 boxes of masks, two boxes of misappropriated addresses, 10 boxes of manufacturer information is unknown
[Mask scam] How many times have you encountered a company in the Mainland who pretended to be a fake European certificate?
Mask purchase guide↓↓↓↓
+4
+3
+2
New Coronary Pneumonia Mask Teaching and Quotes
