Jinan, capital of Shandong province moves up mask production chain for growth and is becoming one of the main face mask production bases in northern China [Photo/jinan.e23.cn]

Jinan's face mask production capacity continues to increase, benefiting not only local residents but also overseas markets as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the world.

The city can now produce nearly 20 million face masks per day and is becoming one of the main face mask production bases in northern China.

More and more export orders are being made for international epidemic prevention and control efforts, with orders from some enterprises exceeding 100 million yuan ($14.16 million).

By the end of March, 25.43 million yuan products from six medical supply manufacturers in Jinan had been exported to 10 countries and regions, including Italy, the United States, and Australia.

"There is currently huge international demand for anti-epidemic supplies, especially KN95 masks," a manager of the Shandong Hongyun New Material Company said. The company recently launched two KN95 mask production lines.

According to Zhang Qiliang, director of the biomedical industry office of the Jinan bureau of industry and information technology, five or six companies in Jinan have received CE certification and FDA registration, allowing their products to enter the European and American markets.

For example, Shengquan New Material Company has exported its products to Japan, Germany, Southeast Asia, and a number of other countries and regions, and Shandong Hongyun New Material Company has mainly exported its medical supplies to the United States and Italy.

"Jinan currently has 34 mask production companies, and this number will soon exceed 40," Zhang said, "The city's daily KN95 mask production capacity now exceeds 200,000, and it is expected to surpass 1 million soon."

Jinan has formed a complete mask production chain consisting of 70 enterprises and covering mask machines, nonwoven fabrics, melt-spraying cloth, and nose strips.

Jinan's mask production capacity now ranks third in the country, after Changyuan in Henan province and Xiantao in Hubei province, Zhang said.

Jinan's mask production capacity increased from one million to nearly 20 million per day over the course of just two months, thanks to the city's strong high-end equipment manufacturing industry and its ability to mobilize production in an emergency and safeguard its supply.