The Chinese government released a report earlier this month warning of further power outages due to nation-wide energy shortages. Coal shortages, rising prices, and an overloaded power grid have all contributed to recent struggles.

The country’s energy troubles are not new; earlier this year China faced lengthy outages following winter snow storms that closed mines and hampered delivery. In recent months, vinyl glove manufacturers have been forced to adapt to the challenges the shortages create, often by reducing production. Several vendors have reported that they are only afforded power for about 6 hours each day. Considering production equipment takes approximately 2-3 hours to warm-up, production time is limited to only a few hours of the day.

Further reading:
Coal shortage threatens power supply
China urges more power conservation amid shortage
Shandong Xinfa Aluminum May Have to Cut Production