[Haichuan Chemical Salary News] The first-phase 4,000-ton/year melt-blown fabric project at Yizheng Chemical Fibers has been fully put into operation

1 ton of melt-blown fabric can be used to produce 1 million medical masks; producing 12 tons per day means 12 million masks.

Seize new market demands, stabilize economic development, and support the global fight against the pandemic

It is estimated that an annual production of 6,000 tons of melt-blown fabric can help produce over 6 billion medical masks, which is equivalent to providing each person in the country with 4 additional masks – a figure that exceeds the total output of 5 billion masks produced in China in 2019； This is equivalent to one mask per person around the world. Back then, Yizheng Chemical Fiber took on debts to build factories in order to provide the people across the country with a new set of Acetate clothing each year, operating under financial strain; today, it is stepping into new fields and providing urgent support for people’s health by manufacturing masks. Yizheng Chemical Fibers stepped in to take on this task under pressure, acted promptly upon receiving the order, started from scratch, crossed disciplinary boundaries as needed, handled the situation in a tailored manner, and pushed forward at full speed. The first production line was built and put into operation within 35 days, demonstrating the pivotal and stabilizing role of state-owned enterprises such as Sinopec ； Yizheng Chemical Fibers made further efforts and completed the construction of 8 production lines within 65 days, thus bringing the entire first-phase project online ； Within 76 days, 12 production lines were built and put into operation, completing the construction of Phase II in its entirety. This set a new record for the shortest construction time in the history of the Yizheng Chemical Fiber project, accelerating the pace of \"Made in China\" manufacturing. During the project’s construction, it was achieved that there were zero infections related to the pandemic, zero safety incidents, and zero environmental pollution. Throughout the entire construction process of Yizheng Chemical Fiber’s Phase I and II melt-blown fabric projects, a spirit of willingness to take responsibility and courage to overcome challenges was evident. Faced with the biggest challenge of a short construction timeline, Yizheng Chemical Fiber learned from the builders of Huoshenshan, Leishenshan, and makeshift hospitals; it broke with conventional practices, took special measures for special situations, implemented a structured approach to work, carrying out design, procurement, equipment manufacturing, construction, administrative approvals, staff training, and production preparations simultaneously, with multiple tasks being carried out in parallel. To overcome the bottleneck of long delivery times for 475 units of equipment, Yizheng Chemical Fibers coordinated various resources to ensure that there were personnel on site at both the main manufacturer’s facility and those of the subcontractors. During the peak of the pandemic, 11 work teams were sent to the sites of the manufacturers of both the main equipment and the auxiliary equipment to monitor the manufacturing progress and quality, and to urge prompt delivery ； For equipment transportation, two drivers are used; the crew can take breaks while the vehicle continues to operate, ensuring that the goods reach the project site without delay. For emergency and critical equipment, air delivery is employed multiple times to save every minute. Over 600 workers were involved in the construction, working round the clock – 5 days a week, day and night – with construction activities continuing without pause for 24 hours a day. The construction of the Phase I and II melt-blown fabric projects at Yizheng Chemical Fiber adheres to the requirements of a high starting point and high-quality development. The product is designed to produce melt-blown fabric for KN95 masks and above. For equipment selection, devices with better operational stability and product consistency are chosen. Sinopec Nanjing Engineering Company, one of the project participants, launched a labor competition titled \"We’ll go all out for masks,\" achieving a first-pass success rate of 98.7% for pipe welding. As the production lines at Yizheng Chemical Fibers were put into operation one after another, efforts were made to ensure safe and stable operation over long periods of time; emphasis was placed not only on increasing output but also on improving quality. Continuous efforts are being made to deepen the understanding and mastery of key aspects and challenges related to equipment, installation, processes, and production; optimization of design, workflows, and various stages is being pursued. In the second phase of the project, 100% localization has been achieved for everything from the core equipment, namely the melt-blown nozzles, to simple bolts. Intelligent systems such as automatic packaging and automatic material feeding are now being put into use. Continuous efforts have been made to ensure quality control and improvement; by optimizing process controls and parameters, not only has the production volume exceeded the designed levels, but the rate of high-quality products has also reached 98% ； In strict accordance with the CNAS system standards, key indicators such as filtration efficiency are subject to marked testing. After testing by third-party inspection agencies and trial use by mask manufacturers, the quality of the melt-blown fabric produced by Yizheng Chemical Fiber meets the standards for KN95 masks.

The main equipment and outsourced equipment for the melt-blown fabric project involve more than 80 suppliers across the country; the relevant departments provided coordination and support, and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Jiangsu Province contacted local authorities on multiple occasions to coordinate with these enterprises for urgent production； A group of state-owned enterprises are doing their utmost to support Yizheng Chemical Fiber in its pursuit of success ； A group of private enterprises have prioritized the overall situation and gone to great lengths to provide support for Yihua’s production line equipment. The core component in the main equipment, the melt-blown die, is missing a special casting, and the supplier company is still on shutdown. Shaoyang Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. urgently sought support from Qinghai Xining Special Steel. Without hesitation, Xining Special Steel sent a truck that traveled over 2,100 kilometers in 24 hours to deliver a batch of castings intended for export to Shaoyang. Yizheng Chemical Fiber mobilizes the entire company’s resources, with key leaders taking charge and department heads participating in the project construction leadership team and project department, which are fully responsible for project organization, coordination, and the five aspects of control. At the same time, an efficient coordination mechanism should be established, with specialized task forces formed for design, procurement, construction, production preparation, and administrative approvals. These teams shall work together, handle procedures on-site, and coordinate to resolve issues there as well. Departments and units involved in procurement, equipment, production, etc. should break down departmental barriers, take the initiative to provide services, fill in gaps, and address problems proactively ； The short fiber department has assembled a team of top experts to form a safeguard team for starting up the equipment, ensuring a \"stable, smooth, and optimal\" operation during startup” ； The Yizheng Chemical Fiber Trade Union organized a special labor competition themed “Five Comparisons and Five Competitions” for the melt-blown fabric production project, aiming to further motivate and guide employees to strive for excellence and make significant contributions during the project’s development. Reporter: Zhai Ruilong; Yangtze Evening News/Ziniu News reporter: Shi Xiaolei

Melt-blown fabrics that meet quality standards simply cannot satisfy market demand.