Rising temperatures boost Ningbo's cooling product exports

As a heat wave grips the northern hemisphere, manufacturers in Ningbo, Zhejiang province are busy dealing with a massive influx of orders for cooling products, such as fans and air conditioners.

In the factory of Ningbo Dechang Electric Machinery Co Ltd, six production lines are running at full capacity.

"Some of the lines are producing electric fans. We started mass producing the fan at the beginning of this year. But it sold over 1 million units overseas in just five months," said Fang Suping, the company's deputy manager of sales. "We recently received another urgent order for more than 100,000 fans, which are expected to be sent to the United States in mid-July."

According to Fang, the fans were produced and delivered before June in previous years. But due to ongoing scorching temperatures, orders from Europe, America and the Middle East have increased sharply this year. The fans' production has been mapped out until the end of August, while many customers are rushing to place urgent orders.

Zhejiang Sharbo Electric Appliance Co Ltd, an air conditioner manufacturer in Ningbo, is also ramping up production for surging overseas orders.

"Increasing demand for air conditioners has boosted exports. In the first half of this year, our exports were valued at $75 million, increasing 15 percent year on year," said Lu Wuxing, the company's vice general manager. 

According to Ningbo Customs, the city's exports of cooling products have grown by 11 percent year-on-year, reaching 12.3 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) in the first five months of this year.