Sharp converts factory to make 150,000 face masks a day amid coronavirus outbreak

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to dominate headlines, Japanese electronics company Sharp has announced it will use its Mie Prefecture plant to produce surgical masks.

The masks have become a common site not just in Japan but across the globe as the coronavirus, named COVID-19, has continued to spread. But with their popularity come shortages, so Sharp is stepping up its production.

Sharp, which is owned by Foxconn, typically produces displays at the factory. But the company now plans to start producing the masks by the end of March at a rate of 150,000 a day and eventually climbing to over 500,000 a day.  Read more...