BEIJING — March 8, 2020 — Forty-eight hours ahead of schedule, Sinopec Corp., a energy and chemical company, put its first melt-blown nonwoven fabric assembly line into operation at its Yanshan factory in Beijing on March 6. The Yanshan factory is a converted 3,600-square-meter warehouse that has found new life as a global production base following the challenges brought by the coronavirus outbreak.
The 14,400-ton capacity Yanshan facility is one of Sinopec’s two melt-blown nonwoven fabric assembly bases and is co-managed with China National Machinery Industry Corp. The base has two non-woven production lines and three spunbond production lines and can produce up to 4 tons of melt-blown fabric for 1.2 million N95 disposable masks or 6 tons for 6 million disposable masks per day.
The new facility also takes advantage of Sinopec’s integrated upstream supply-chain by sourcing local materials from Yanshan and support from the on-site synthetic resin production line.
“It normally takes about half a year to complete the construction of a 10,000-ton melt-blown fabric factory — we have done it in 12 days, 48 hours ahead of schedule. In a challenging time like this, saving 48 hours means that we can produce an extra 12 million disposable masks,” said Lv Dapeng, spokesperson of Sinopec Corp.
The largest medical material supplier in China, Sinopec is a significant supplier of polypropylene, a key component in the production of disposable masks for medical use. The new assembly line will ensure a stable supply of medical supplies, such as masks and clothing, can be distributed across the nation and worldwide.
“We are privileged to support those who are protecting us from the virus. Sinopec will utilize all of our resources to ensure supplies to the frontline are guaranteed,” said Lv.
Sinopec’s other eight melt-blown non-woven fabric production lines in Yizheng, Jiangsu are currently under construction and are expected to enter operation by mid-April.
Posted March 18, 2020
Source: Sinopec Corp.