China 2020 Fireworks Manufacturing Update
There is a lot going on over in China right now as many know! Between factory explosions, Chinese New Year, and the Coronavirus we can expect a little delay in fireworks manufacturing for 2020. Read below to learn more on how these things might affect your fourth of July!
Explosions:
In December of 2019 there were explosions at two separate fireworks factories in Liuyang, China. (Liuyang is considered the birthplace of the firework and is where the majority of today’s fireworks are still produced.) The Chinese government immediately halted all manufacturing in fireworks factories while these explosions were investigated. All factories were then required to re-apply for their manufacturing licenses, a time consuming process. Many factories will not even receive permits to re-open under the new stricter rules and regulations. The good news is our main factories have already received their permits, including our Widow factory! They are permitted to begin production as soon as the government allows workers to return to the factories. The fact that our factories have already received their permits speaks volumes about the quality and safety of the products they produce. This situation crossed over into Chinese New Year when factories shut down for holiday at the end of January.
Read more about the explosion here.
Coronavirus:
As many know by now, China is facing an epidemic. The Coronavirus started out in Wuhan, which is about 220 miles from Liuyang.Β The city of Liuyang has had only four confirmed cases of the virus so far. In an attempt to keep it contained heavy restrictions have been put in place by the government. Citizens have been quarantined to their homes, banned from all travel. All fireworks factories have been shut down and instructed that manufacturing will be delayed until at least February 20th (moved from the previous date of February 9th).
Read more about the Coronavirus impact on all manufacturing here.
What this means:
At this time we can expect a 4-5 week delay on containers, moving our final arrivals back to approximately the first of May. This of course could change as the situation on the ground in China can change suddenly without notice. We are monitoring this closely and will continue to update you with more information as we receive it directly from our manufacturers. As of right now we should not see any negative impact to our stores. However, if the situation continues and production cannot start back up, fireworks companies everywhere may not get their product in time.
Stay tuned for more information on exciting new additions to the RGS Lineup! Get a glimpse of new products by checking out our NEW for 2020 Category HERE!
