Sharp is using its TV production lines to make face masks instead
Sharp to produce 150,000 face masks per day in this one factory
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Sharp is usually known for making hardware such assoundbarsandtelevisions, but the Japanese electronics brand is moving into a new area: medical face masks.
As reported by theBBC, Sharp is leveraging one of its TV factories to meet the huge surge in demand for face masks among members of the public, amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China – but has since reached multiple nations around the globe.
Face masks are much more of a common sight in South East Asia than in Western countries, and Japan’s domestic supplies of surgical masks are already running low. We’d already seen Foxconn – Sharp’s parent company – start tomanufacture its own face masks for workerson iPhone production lines, so it’s not overly surprising for the practice to extend to Sharp.
However, the move shows increasing concern from manufacturers, who are now having to decrease their overall production capacity in order to supply face masks to their own workers – given the scarcity of the masks elsewhere.
This could well affect supply for Sharp televisions around the globe, given how many LCD televisions that one factory tends to churn out each month – though we imagine the company is looking to minimize that impact and reallocate sales units wherever possible.
Business as usual?
Sharp’s co-opted factory is reportedly capable of outputting 150,000 face masks per day, with production beginning within the next few weeks – once the factory has been readied for its new products. This could rise to 500,000 a day, though questions remain over the efficacy of such masks in preventing the spread of infection.
Basic surgical masks aren’t adept at keeping out smaller airborne particles, especially compared to more advanced (and expensive) N95 respirator masks – but it’s the former that’s being manufactured at this scale.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Coronavirus fears have already led to the cancellation ofMWC 2020,Google IO, and the pivoting ofGDC 2020to an online-only event – whileE3 2020may well be next on the list.
Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.
Black Friday has arrived: LG’s 65-inch C4 OLED TV gets a staggering $1,300 discount
The Apple TV 4K just got even more interesting for projectors in tvOS 18.2
Best genealogy tool of 2024
