TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan scrambles to fight the Wuhan virus (COVID-19), surgical mask companies have thrown their weight behind the government to help the country weather the health crisis.
China Surgical Dressings Center Co. (CSD), a Taiwanese mask brand with a 73-year history, has become a household name since the outbreak. It has managed to swiftly bring its operations in line with the government’s policy for the rationing of surgical masks — the first such measure to be adopted in the island nation.
Even before the onset of the coronavirus scare not seen in two decades, CSD had already built up a reputation for the quality and diversity of its products, making it a supplier of first-aid kits for the U.S. military. Its “fashionable mask” line featuring special designs and splashes of color has also redefined people’s concept of the protective gear.
The company has acted quickly to halt export orders, slash production of time-consuming items, and produced face masks at three times its normal capacity — since the masks were declared a wartime commodity in the fight against the disease and thus are subject to government acquisitions. The feat has impressed government officials, wrote CNA.
The key to the company's adaptability lies in a contingency plan that has been in place since its founding: working at 70 percent capacity while leaving the other 30 percent idle, according to its second-generation leader Chairman Chang Feng-lien (張豐聯). The idle capacity would be put to use to ensure an efficient response in emergencies like this, even though this approach means increased costs, the report quoted him as saying.
Not only does CSD manufacture face masks, but it also produces alcohol pads in a bid to reduce Taiwan’s overreliance on imports of medical equipment. “This is the social responsibility businesses in the medical supplies industry must shoulder,” said Chang, quoting a tenet he inherited from his father.
Taiwan is set to emerge as the second-largest surgical mask producer worldwide, with daily production reaching 10 million. All factories are running in full drive and the 60 mask machines procured by the government entered service last week.
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CSD Chairman Chang Feng-lien (left) and his son. (CNA photo)
CSD delivers face masks while police officers stand guard. (CNA photo)
Mask machine operator in New Taipei City. (CNA photo)
