Chinese automaker becomes world's largest producer of face masks

Chinese automaker BYD Co. has said they are now the world's largest producer of face masks. According to reports, the company's Shenzen facility is producing over five million face masks every day with another 3,00,000 bottles of sanitisers. The Chinese company started producing face masks last month when the Coronavirus outbreak was at its peak in the country. 

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As per reports, the BYD Co. built production lines using 90 percent in-house components after founder Wang Chuanfu hired 3,000 engineers to work on the project. The company has not yet clarified to the media as to what type of face masks it is producing in its facility. However, the demand for face masks and hand sanitisers skyrocketed in China and around the world after the deadly virus outbreak was declared an epidemic, further becoming a pandemic. 

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According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China increased its production of face masks to 54.8 million units a day. The country is the biggest producers of face masks. BYD Co. that started as a battery maker for smartphones in 1995, moved into making hybrid cars and other components.

The company started producing masks after the outbreak became severe to help the authorities cope up with the demand. iPhone assembler Foxconn along with few other companies also started producing masks in the wake of increasing Coronavirus cases. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The COVID-19 has claimed more than 10,000 lives across the world and has infected nearly 2,45,000 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.

Italy, Iran and Spain are the most affected countries outside mainland China, where, as of March 17 the combined death toll stands at 5,520. Italy has now surpassed China to record the most number of deaths in the world due to the virus outbreak.

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