The transformation of the "war epidemic" has started Gao Ding clothing into "protective clothing" overnight

This Chinese New Year of the Rat has become unusual due to a sudden outbreak. For custom clothing company Evo Clothing Technology, this Spring Festival is also unusual. Not only did employees cancel their vacations and start work, but the product also changed from custom clothing to a unified "protective suit."

After the "war epidemic" against new crown pneumonia started, the shortage of medical supplies such as masks and Protective Clothing has always affected the hearts of the people. Strengthening the protection of the supply of medical supplies is a national appeal and the voice of the people. For this reason, a number of companies have emerged from the society to actively participate in the “conversion war” —to help the front line, they have transformed their production lines, converted medical supplies, and carried out the “war epidemic” in another way.

Rather than purchasing and donating, put into production

On January 26, 2020, the second day of the first month of the year of the rat, in the core team of Evo Clothing Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Evo Custom"), the idea of ​​converting protective materials was born.

With the development of the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic situation, there is a shortage of epidemic prevention supplies such as masks and protective clothing. For a time, companies and caring people from all walks of life at home and abroad helped out and donated money. Evo Custom is one of them. After the donation, He Guanbin, CEO of Evo Customs, suddenly thought, "Why don't we do it directly?" He Guanbin said in an interview with this website that the decision-making process was very short. It only took 4 days from the start of a video conference discussion, to the collection of their own data, and the contact of the relevant government department to apply for the conversion.

Experts go to companies to guide product development. Source: Evo Custom

In fact, nationwide, there was no clear notice at the time that clothing companies could switch to protective related products. Therefore, when Evo made contact with the Guangzhou Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau for the change of production, the other party was also surprised. With the active cooperation of several local government departments, the process and application method for converting protective equipment were cleared within two days.

He Guanbin's rhythm was also the work rhythm customized by Evo at that time. At the same time as applying for production conversion, the company solved the hardware supply issues of the production site, production equipment and raw materials by itself, and ensured that the production of masks and protective clothing in compliance with national standards GB19082-2009.

In just 3 days, Evo Custom made the first set of protective clothing samples, and all the indicators passed the quality and safety inspection.

Equipment shortage, supplier vacations

However, things are far from as simple as they seem. From custom clothing to protective clothing production, the shortage of professional equipment has stumped He Guanbin. It is understood that since the outbreak, equipment for the production of epidemic prevention materials has become particularly scarce. Coupled with the Spring Festival, suppliers are on holiday, making the output of new equipment unsustainable.

At the critical moment, Evo customized the “Creation System” supply chain platform that was previously established, which solved He Guanbin's urgent needs. "A lot of suppliers have been incorporated into the" Creation System "before. So when we decided to change production, we contacted the suppliers through this platform." He Guanbin said that he had contacted more than 100 related companies, some of them Cooperate with production.

With the "Creation System", the shortage of raw materials has also been eased. Taking the production of protective clothing as an example, due to the high technical requirements of protective clothing for fabrics, the suppliers that can be contacted can only produce a few hundred kilograms a day, which is far from meeting the needs of the production line.

He Guanbin said with a smile, that relevant technical companies were contacted through the platform company. "Some of them used to do outdoor clothing. They can also make fabrics that meet the conditions and supply our production."

Today, Evo Custom has been designated as a designated manufacturer of corresponding emergency prevention and control emergency supplies during the first-level response period, and has completed its filing with the Guangzhou Municipal Market Supervision Bureau. With production equipment, raw materials and personnel in place, the company's daily production of medical protective clothing in February has reached 2,800 pieces. It is expected that by March, this value will increase to 5,000 pieces.

Protective clothing production site. Source: Evo Custom

Difficulties remain. He Guanbin said that the shortage of professional equipment will continue. "We have placed large orders long ago to book these devices. But on the one hand, manufacturers also have insufficient spare parts inventory; on the other hand, these devices need to be supplied to all parts of the country, so it depends on purchasing capacity. . "

Hot blood, triggered an opportunity for self-help

On February 9, the Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments jointly issued the "Notice on Giving Play to the Role of Government Reserves to Support the Response to Increasing Production and Supply of Epidemic Insufficient Materials" and stated that during the epidemic prevention and control, enterprises are encouraged to take multiple measures to expand the production of key medical protective materials Supply, implement government procurement and storage of key medical supplies for epidemic prevention and control, strengthen government collection and storage of local emergency supplies, and support enterprises to switch to expanded production capacity in a timely manner.

For He Guanbin, knowing this news is tantamount to eating a "centering pill". After all, behind this "rush" decision is the tens of millions of yuan spent on purchasing equipment, raw materials, etc. "When we initially decided to switch production, we just thought that we had done the right thing and hoped that it would help people in need in the society without thinking about who would pay for it."

This was considered "correct", and later proved its "correctness" to the management team from multiple aspects.

After completing the production of the first batch of epidemic prevention products, on February 6, He Guanbin rushed to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University to donate. Since then, customized materials produced by Evo have been sent to more than 20 Guangdong New Crown Pneumonia designated hospitals such as the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhongshan Medical University, Dongguan People's Hospital, and Qingyuan People's Hospital. In He Guanbin's words, it is "maintaining the original intention of changing production of epidemic prevention materials".

Donate anti-epidemic materials. Source: Evo Custom

In fact, in the face of this epidemic, if there is no decisive choice to switch to protective clothing, Evo customization may suffer no small loss.

Under the epidemic, the original retail market that was coming and going was as if the pause button had been pressed. Evo Customs, which was in the storm, undoubtedly also received a positive impact. "For our daily business, the impact of this epidemic is considerable. Because we are mainly engaged in retail, and since the beginning of the epidemic, the decline of the entire retail market has been very obvious, reaching 80 to 90 percent. He Guanbin said frankly that at present, the company's original business is basically at a standstill.

This decision to change labor with more than 20 days ago, with one cavity of blood, not only helped the medical staff who needed urgently anti-epidemic materials, but also allowed Evo to explore a completely new development path.

Today, He Guanbin has applied for a new brand-Evo Protection, and has invested a lot of resources in the research and development of protection products. "The company has already contacted the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases where Academician Zhong Nanshan is located, and the Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group, and plans to jointly develop some new products."

Regarding the market after the epidemic, He Guanbin is full of confidence. "The original main business will definitely be gradually restored. This is a pre-judgment. After this, the health industry will also usher in new developments ... In the future, protection products will become us. A new type of business for the company and will also occupy a considerable share. "(Yang Haidan)