Focus Taiwan
Date: 02/18/2020
By: Chung Jung-feng, Huang Hsu-sheng, Wang Kuo-hung and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Taiwan-based manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. is planning to produce face masks in Taiwan amid a supply shortage in the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic.

Hon Hai, known as Foxconn in the global market, said Monday that it already has a plan in place to set up a surgical mask production facility in New Taipei's Tucheng District, where the company is headquartered.

Hon Hai said the company has been in communication with raw material and production equipment suppliers, and expressed gratitude for assistance lent by the New Taipei city government, although it will be the central government that will have the final say on the matter, as masks are classed as medical equipment and therefore require proper certification.

While Hon Hai did not disclose how many face masks it will produce per day, local news media reported that operations at the new facility will start in March, with 10 production lines providing a capacity of 1 million masks per day.    [FULL  STORY]