As the first nation hit with the COVID-19 outbreak, China is now starting to see the other side, and industries like the manufacturing sector are already starting to bounce back.
There is no question that the world is in crisis. We are facing a pandemic that is reaching into all parts of the world and is having a dramatic impact on people’s health and daily lives. The COVID-19 pandemic is also having a significant economic impact, with many people out of work and several industries coming to a standstill.
Due to the rapid propagation of the virus and the inability to have people working in close quarters, many Western manufacturing businesses have had to close their operations in order to meet government guidelines or measures. Several manufacturers have also transitioned their production to help meet the high demand in the medical sector for PPE, ventilator components and more. The slow down or shifting of existing manufacturing operations has consequently affected supply chains across the Western world, resulting in gaps or weaknesses.
Being based in China, we at RapidDirect know first-hand the devastating effects of the virus. At the same time, being from the first nation to experience the coronavirus outbreak, we also are starting to see the other side of it, and things are gradually starting to get back to normal.
With the first reported cases of COVID-19 being reported in China in January, the country quickly put in measures to stem the spread of the virus from the epicenter in Wuhan. As the world knows, the cases rose rapidly across the country in early February, reaching nearly 80,000 confirmed cases by the end of the month. Over the course of March, however, strict lockdown measures across the country proved to be working: under 2,000 new cases were reported last month, curbing the exponential rise in cases we experienced earlier.
In light of this, the country is slowly loosening lockdown measures. In Shenzhen, where RapidDirect is based, workers have started going back to their jobs and things are starting to regain some sense of normalcy. For example, in March, the production index for supply and demand and the new order index were 54.1% and 52%, respectively—an increase of 26.3% and 22.7% based on the previous month. Additionally, the fact that the production index was 2.1% higher than the new order index showcases that China’s manufacturing capacity has started to recover.
The RapidDirect team returned to work on March 1 and we are happy to report that our operations are up and running again. In light of the pandemic and the infectious nature of COVID-19, we at RapidDirect are continuing to implement safety measures at our offices and facilities to protect the health of our workers. Recommended policies, like physical distancing and mask-wearing, are in practice at our factories and will continue to be followed until the pandemic is over. Our team of workers is essential to what we do and our manufacturing services would be nothing without them, so their health is our utmost priority.
With these measures in place, we are fulfilling orders for our customers around the world every day. Our full team is active, working closely with clients to optimize products and deliver the highest quality parts in the fastest amount of time. By working with us, businesses can overcome supply chain hurdles caused by COVID-19 and receive their prototypes or end-use parts directly from us, the manufacturer. We offer some of the manufacturing industry’s most competitive lead times and pricing schemes.
If you are looking for a manufacturing partner that can meet your rapid prototyping needs today, don’t hesitate to get in touch! With our extensive manufacturing capability, we are available to take orders to help meet production demand across the globe. Read more about our various manufacturing services and learn the benefits of working with a China-based rapid prototyping service.
