In China’s manufacturing hub of Dongguan, a sock maker struggles to keep his factory from folding
- Supply chain disruptions in the pandemic have forced many Guangdong manufacturers to close their doors, while workers are left to wait and hope
- Factory owner hopes one of his five daughters can bring him a son-in-law to help keep the business afloat
His production lines are idle, without a single worker in sight – about 30 were furloughed, but he pays them each 1,700 yuan (US$243) a month in case there is a sudden turnaround in his business and he needs to call them back quickly.
“The factory survived the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2003, the global financial crisis in 2008, and the trade war with the US … but I am afraid it can’t survive 2020,” Lin lamented. “I haven’t received a single call from the exporting traders in Hong Kong since February, and daily sales at my 40 stores have dropped to an average of 600 yuan from [about] 2,000 yuan.”
From 2018-19, Lin had more than 50 employees working in two shifts, with an annual output of around 5 million socks. Roughly a third were exported, and the rest were sold as his 40 retail locations across Guangdong province.