Support of 4t Nonwoven Fabric to Mask Manufacturers... Industry Minister "Proper Supply of Filters to Right Places"

Ministry of Industry Issues Adjustment Orders to 4 Nonwoven Fabric Companies for Mask Filters
"Supply to 5 Mask Manufacturers at Risk of Production Halt"

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yun-mo presiding over an emergency meeting of public institutions under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy regarding COVID-19 response, held on the 25th of last month at the Korea Electric Power Corporation Namseoul Headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 6th that it ordered four nonwoven fabric manufacturers for mask filters to supply an adjustable quantity of 4 tons to five mask manufacturers facing potential production halts.

On the 9th, the ministry stated that it issued the first shipment adjustment order since the implementation of the 'Emergency Supply and Demand Adjustment Measure for Mask Filter Nonwoven Fabric' starting from the 6th.

According to Article 5 of the emergency measure, Minister Sung Yun-mo of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy may order adjustments on production, shipment, and sales quantities, as well as shipment and sales destinations, for producers and sellers of mask filter nonwoven fabric if necessary.

The core of this measure is to supply 4 tons of adjustable shipment volume from the shipments of four nonwoven fabric manufacturers for filters during the three days from the 6th to the 8th to five mask manufacturers. These manufacturers are companies at risk of production suspension due to insufficient nonwoven fabric inventory.

The ministry announced that upon issuing this measure, the adjustable shipment volume was communicated to the manufacturers over the past weekend and was投入 into mask production at some companies starting from the evening of the 8th.

At 11 a.m. on the same day, Minister Sung visited Atex, a health mask manufacturer located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, to inspect whether the measure was functioning properly on site.

Atex is the first company to receive 'melt-blown' filter nonwoven fabric supply through the 'shipment adjustment order' issued after the ministry implemented the emergency measure.

At the site, Kim Haeryong, CEO of Atex, revealed that their factory, which used to produce 300,000 masks daily, had suspended operations since last weekend due to a shortage of filter nonwoven fabric supply. He also mentioned that the factory was able to resume operations starting that day thanks to this measure.

CEO Kim raised various on-site difficulties including ▲ raw material procurement ▲ equipment support for mask production expansion ▲ production-related regulations.

In response, Minister Sung stated plans to increase supply volume of melt-blown filters through ▲ early operation of new facilities ▲ conversion of equipment for other uses ▲ discovery of new overseas suppliers.

Minister Sung emphasized, "Through adjustment orders related to production, shipment, and sales under the emergency measure, we plan to ensure that filters are supplied to the right place at the right time by managing the process thoroughly."

Additionally, starting from the 6th, a 'Mask Technical Support Team' dedicated to equipment issues of mask and melt-blown filter manufacturers has been formed to promptly resolve problems. The ministry also announced plans to improve process efficiency through support for mask packaging equipment and other initiatives.

Minister Sung said, "Regarding regulations, we will make every effort to continuously identify obstacles to production expansion through the public-private joint Materials and Components Supply Response Center and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and to promptly resolve issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.