(Yicai Global) May 12 -- Hangzhou Great Star Industrial has generated overseas sales of nearly USD100 million for its protective masks since the Covid-19 pandemic began, doubling its international income from masks last year.

The firm had delivered USD35 million worth of masks and will deliver most of the remainder within the next four months as countries worldwide try to combat the virus, the firm said in a statement yesterday.

Great Star’s overseas mask sales did not even reach USD5 million last year, but orders have soared since Great Star’s masks got the European Union’s CE certification and approval from the US Food and Drug Administration in mid-March.

Shares in the company [SHE:002444] were up 1.5 percent at CNY10.19 (USD1.44) as of 2.22 p.m.

The hand and power tool manufacturer has sold most of the masks to chain supermarkets overseas that it has worked with for over 10 years, the statement added, saying three unnamed US customers made orders totaling nearly USD59 million and one German buyer purchased USD23.1 million worth of masks.

It is still expecting to sign more deals with global buyers and is optimizing its capacity to meet rising demand, the statement said.

The firm is one of many Chinese exporters to benefit from the Covid-19 virus, with the country approving exports of CNY71.2 billion (USD10 billion) worth of anti-pandemic supplies in March and last month, including 27.8 billion masks, according to customs data.

Editor: James Boynton