Qingdao CIMC Reefer Container Manufacture Co (QCRC), based in the Jiaozhou Economic and Technological Development Zone in Qingdao, Shandong province, has resumed operations and is now rushing into production mode amid the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.

"About 80 percent of our production line has resumed operation and we have a full slate of orders until June," said Ding Yi, the company's human resources manager, "The company's output value for the first half of the year is expected to exceed 1 billion yuan ($142 million)."

Employees on the production line at a factory of Qingdao CIMC Reefer Container Manufacture Co. [Photo by Zhan Nan/stdaily.com]

According to Ding, the company has taken a number of measures to prevent infection, including restricting access to only essential personnel, checking body temperatures, and disinfecting public areas and factories to protect the health of employees and ensure production goes smoothly.

QCRC, a subsidiary of China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC), boasts the world's largest production base for standard refrigerators.

"Although domestic demand has been relatively slow due to the outbreak, overseas orders have not been affected," said Ding.

"For orders that have been delayed, we have communicated with customers and made plans to complete them as soon as possible. The local government has also resolved a number of issues for us and helped us resume operations, arrange logistics channels, and gather enough production materials."

"The government is working with us to minimize the impact of the epidemic," Ding said.

"We have implemented a number of preferential policies on finance, taxation, and social security, and have opened green channels to help enterprises prevent infections and resume operations smoothly," said Xiang Zhiqiang, deputy director of the management committee of the Jiaozhou Economic and Technological Development Zone.