18
May
One Point Zero Newsletter – Distribution, Public Advise Changes, Labelling and Labor Day
How One Point Zero Can Help You
We have been successfully supplying organisations across the globe with masks and other PPE since January, with our first shipments facilitating the need in Hong Kong. Over the last few months however, our focus has been primarily Europe and the US. Having provided supplies from the beginning of 2020, we have invaluable insight into the process in China, enabling us to avoid the common pitfalls that many suppliers have fallen into. This has allowed us to help some of the biggest organisations in Germany, France and Switzerland. Our products have been tested against other PPE suppliers and consistently come out on top when checked against safety standards and quality. If you are looking for a recommended supplier who will deliver the highest standard of product, get in touch to avoid the many companies who are still not delivering what has been ordered.
Changes in Advice for the Public
Over the last few weeks, several European countries have changed the advice on when and where to use a mask. It is now recommended that members of the public should wear a mask when leaving the house in Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
There has been much confusion in Europe, since COVID19 began to rapidly spread back in January, as to what people should or should not do to help protect themselves and others. As time has gone on however, the top precaution is social distancing. Masks have always been a necessity for front line workers such as doctors and care workers, but slowly the consensus is that everyone, including the public, should have some form of masked protection.
The problem is the supply needed to meet the demand, as all recommended masks are single use only and countries just do not have the stock to accommodate their populations. This has resulted in a vast number of people sewing their own, in the absence of being able to acquire any recommended product. Unfortunately these DIY versions do not provide adequate protection, as mentioned in our previous newsletter, despite many organizations recommending them. Until proper supplies are made available, the public have little option but to manufacture their own. These masks give the wearer a somewhat misguided feeling of safety, many of whom have felt anxious about going outside since the start of lockdown. It is incredibly important that companies and organisations do not avoid their responsibility. There is plenty of appropriate product available, with more being made every day, it is just a question of how to access this supply which is where One Point Zero can help.
Combatting Distribution Problems
As the purchasing process of buying masks and other PPE is slowly becoming more understood with the various regulation changes that have been put in place in China, one of the biggest problems now is distribution. Flights are extremely limited and available slots are difficult to come by. To combat this, companies like One Point Zero have been looking into alternative routes, either by driving orders to neighboring countries in order to get a flight, shipping product by sea and then if needed booking internal flights to the destination country or switching to rail.
The method of distribution is very much dependent on cost, size of shipment and lead time, all of which are determined in large by the buyer. Currently rail is the most predictable mode of transport, although buyers are in most cases not prepared to wait the extra time, preferring the potential speed of air freight. However, with air freight in chaos at the moment, buyers may well benefit from rail as a long-term alternative.
Old Stock Being Passed Off as New
Some mask manufacturers have been selling off older stock which no longer meets the updated safety standards. When purchasing, make sure to check with your supplier or manufacturer that all product meets the current requirements otherwise it will very likely be seized at customs.
Correct Labelling
Chinese customs have brought in several new labelling requirements over the past few weeks to ensure a greater level of detail is given about each shipment. The new regulation has had a knock-on effect at customs, with all shipments waiting for inspection suddenly not able to pass. The label changes which were brought in overnight have caused a massive backlog with companies scrambling to get new labelling produced and then applied to not only the orders stuck in customs but also new orders leaving the factory. Until a shipment has the correct labelling, it will not pass inspection or be released from customs. With the enforcement of such changes being incredibly strict, this has been a big problem for both suppliers and buyers alike, with at least a week being added onto delivery times.
To make matters worse, they have enforced two separate label changes since then, meaning every time a new regulation is announced, all labelling must be scrapped, re-printed and re-applied. This convoluted approach to trying to increase control of product leaving China has been a headache for suppliers as there is no guarantee that the destination country customs inspection will go smoothly either with many countries experiencing a backlog as well, causing further delays.
Labor Day
Friday the 1st May was Labor Day, also known as International Workers Day, across the globe, with many countries, including China, observing it as a national holiday. Ahead of time, Chinese customs informed suppliers that there would be a reduced workforce operating on both the Friday and over the weekend and therefore to expect inspections to take longer.
Many companies were shutting over the weekend with some services being affected for up to 5 days. However, even though it was a national holiday, many factories were remaining fully functional, keen not to get behind in the production of personal protective equipment.
