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Photos: In virus-hit China, coat maker adapts to make hazmat suits

The coronavirus outbreak in China is preventing clothing manufacturer Ugly Duck Industry from resuming its normal production of winter coats, so it has pivoted to another in-demand product: hazmat suits. The company in the eastern China export hub of Wenzhou hastily repurposed its assembly line, putting the few dozen workers it could muster to produce thousands of single-use protective suits daily.

Updated on: Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM IST

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Workers sew hazardous material suits to be used in the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak at the Zhejiang Ugly Duck Industry garment factory in Wenzhou. The coronavirus outbreak in China is preventing clothing manufacturer Ugly Duck Industry from resuming its normal production of winter coats, so it has pivoted to another in-demand product: hazmat suits. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

Workers sew hazardous material suits to be used in the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak at the Zhejiang Ugly Duck Industry garment factory in Wenzhou. The coronavirus outbreak in China is preventing clothing manufacturer Ugly Duck Industry from resuming its normal production of winter coats, so it has pivoted to another in-demand product: hazmat suits. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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A worker cuts fabric for the production of hazardous material suits. The company in the eastern China export hub of Wenzhou hastily repurposed its assembly line, putting the few dozen workers it could muster to produce thousands of single-use protective suits daily. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

A worker cuts fabric for the production of hazardous material suits. The company in the eastern China export hub of Wenzhou hastily repurposed its assembly line, putting the few dozen workers it could muster to produce thousands of single-use protective suits daily. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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Ugly Duck—referring to the proverbial duckling that becomes a swan—is among countless Chinese manufacturers heeding calls to address desperate shortages of face masks, medical equipment, and other supplies to fight the new coronavirus. The contagion has killed more than 2,800 people and infected some 79,000 in China, sparking global fears and a run on supplies. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

Ugly Duck—referring to the proverbial duckling that becomes a swan—is among countless Chinese manufacturers heeding calls to address desperate shortages of face masks, medical equipment, and other supplies to fight the new coronavirus. The contagion has killed more than 2,800 people and infected some 79,000 in China, sparking global fears and a run on supplies. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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Cooks wearing hazardous material suits prepare lunch for workers at a garment factory. Wenzhou is one of the hardest-hit areas, with 504 cases and one death as of Friday, compared with 337 infections in far larger Shanghai. Along with other cities in Zhejiang province, Wenzhou adopted harsh restrictions on residents’ movements on February 2. Ugly Duck was asked by local authorities to do its part. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

Cooks wearing hazardous material suits prepare lunch for workers at a garment factory. Wenzhou is one of the hardest-hit areas, with 504 cases and one death as of Friday, compared with 337 infections in far larger Shanghai. Along with other cities in Zhejiang province, Wenzhou adopted harsh restrictions on residents’ movements on February 2. Ugly Duck was asked by local authorities to do its part. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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“As soon as we received this mission, we reorganised our production line within 60 hours,” company president Pan Yue told AFP. The suits are sold to the government at cost and intended for local epidemic-control efforts. But with the virus now hitting other countries, the company plans to continue hazmat suit production even after normal operations resume as expected in the coming weeks. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

“As soon as we received this mission, we reorganised our production line within 60 hours,” company president Pan Yue told AFP. The suits are sold to the government at cost and intended for local epidemic-control efforts. But with the virus now hitting other countries, the company plans to continue hazmat suit production even after normal operations resume as expected in the coming weeks. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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One workshop nearly the size of a football pitch, the bright-white polypropylene material is first cut into basic shapes, then stitched together in stages, and finally folded and packaged on an assembly line by workers who are also clad in the head-to-toe suits to prevent contamination. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

One workshop nearly the size of a football pitch, the bright-white polypropylene material is first cut into basic shapes, then stitched together in stages, and finally folded and packaged on an assembly line by workers who are also clad in the head-to-toe suits to prevent contamination. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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Much of Ugly Duck’s roughly 300-strong labour force are migrants from less-developed provinces like Yunnan and Guizhou in China’s southwest. Only half of the workers have managed to navigate travel restrictions and reduced rail and bus traffic. (Noel Celis / AFP)

Updated on Mar 02, 2020 7:39 PM

Much of Ugly Duck’s roughly 300-strong labour force are migrants from less-developed provinces like Yunnan and Guizhou in China’s southwest. Only half of the workers have managed to navigate travel restrictions and reduced rail and bus traffic. (Noel Celis / AFP)

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