“New habits” and “lifestyles” born in the three years of corona misfortune.
What will happen after moving to "5"?
In the mask "liberalization" office?
What about the acrylic plate for splash protection?
What about the "disappeared" hand dryer?
I covered the front lines.
Why don't you wear a "mask" and judge for yourself...?
In October last year, a marketing company in Minato-ku, Tokyo that used SNS declared the “liberalization” of wearing masks in the company.
Regarding the wearing of masks, it has been decided that the position of the new corona will be shifted to "Type 5", and the government is considering a policy to review the basic decision to leave it to individuals regardless of whether it is indoors or outdoors.
As of May last year, the government has clearly stated that it is not necessary to wear a mask indoors if you maintain a distance and rarely talk.
It is said that the company made a comprehensive decision based on the fact that the infection situation was relatively calm at that time and that they moved to a base with plenty of space.
In addition to using remote work, it is a rule to wear a mask when meeting with people outside the company.
Now, three months later, 30 to 40% of employees who come to work are working without masks, and even after liberalization, employees have divided decisions.
i took off the mask
A man in his 30s who often works alone.
"I wanted to take off my mask because I was sensitive to heat. I felt relieved because I didn't want to be seen as 'that person was taking it off.'
" I'm a man.
"It's easy to breathe, but the amount of information conveyed by facial expressions is huge, and it's helpful to know what you're feeling right now. On the other hand, I feel that the benefits of wearing a mask are that I'm less likely to catch a cold, so I'll continue to use it in the future. I think that taking off the mask should be left to the individual rather than being forced."
i'm wearing a mask
I am a woman in her 30s.
"I'm used to it, and I have children in elementary school, so I wear it in case of infection. There is space in the company, and I can work anywhere I like, so I don't mind if people around me take it off. I will think about it by looking at the wearing rate of the surroundings.”
"Respect people who don't remove" "Benefits with visible faces"
Masayuki Hayashi, President of Loveable Marketing Group, said, "There was a positive point that the work style in the corona crisis was forced to digitize, but the relationship between seniors and juniors and the opportunity to learn by watching and learning were lost. I could also see the problem. I respect people who don't remove their masks, but I also feel the benefit of fostering relationships where we can see each other's faces."
What happens to mask production?
Under these circumstances, what will happen to the production volume of masks?
According to the National Mask Industry Association, which is made up of mask manufacturers nationwide, the amount of household masks produced or imported domestically by about 250 member companies was 4.284 billion in 2018 before the corona disaster. However, in fiscal 2021, it will increase to 14,757 million, more than triple the number before the spread of infection.
Due to the increase in demand, more companies have newly entered the mask manufacturing and sales business, and the number of member companies of the industrial association has increased by 2.5 times compared to before the corona crisis, and there has been a series of moves to increase production around the clock. am.
However, according to the industry association, each household has started to stockpile masks, and the production volume has been declining since last year's peak.
"It will gradually decrease."
Regarding the future, "We expect that there will be a certain level of demand in the future due to the habit of wearing masks and the diversification that can be used in various situations. , production and imports will gradually decline."
Changed to “Limited Use” Hand Dryer
Some of them have been temporarily restricted in use due to the infection control of the new corona.
When the risk of infection was pointed out at a government expert meeting in May 2020, when the new corona infection began to spread, hand dryers were discontinued one after another in restaurants, public facilities, companies, etc.
Unit sales have not recovered, but...
As a result, hand dryer manufacturers in Aikawa-cho, Kanagawa Prefecture have lost new orders and canceled rental contracts, and the number of units sold since the summer of this year has decreased by about 80% compared to the previous year. am.
The company asked a research institute to conduct an experiment to check the amount of virus that remained on the hands and adhered to people around after use. It will be announced on the website in 2021.
After that, Keidanren also reviewed the guidelines and allowed its use, saying that ``the possibility of the virus spreading is low'', and now the government says ``it can be used'', but the number of sales has not recovered.
Requests for maintenance started
However, since December last year, when it became more realistic that the position of the new corona under the Infectious Disease Law will be shifted to "Type 5", the company has been using hand dryers that have been suspended from customers' restaurants. It means that requests for maintenance have begun to be used.
Currently, at the factory next to the company, we check about 10 units a week to see if the motors are working properly and if there are any parts that need to be replaced.
The company plans to exhibit at an exhibition for the accommodation and restaurant industries to be held in Tokyo in February, and wants to transmit safety and other information and aim to recover demand.
“Developing new businesses for survival”
Seiichi Inoue, president of Tokyo Electron Co., Ltd., which manufactures hand dryers, said, "Sales have been devastated due to the corona crisis. Even though it has become a '5', it will take another year for sales to recover. It may take a long time, so I would like to consider developing new businesses as well as recovering demand for the survival of the company."
What will happen to the "acrylic board"?
"Acrylic boards" have been required to be installed as a countermeasure against infection in restaurants and other places from an early stage due to this corona wreck.
Companies in Tokyo are starting to develop new products in anticipation of the future.
In response to the spread of the new coronavirus, an acrylic board processing and sales company in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, began selling acrylic board partitions in March 2020 as an infection control measure for offices and restaurants.
Demand peaked in the second half of the year, and the company's overall sales increased three to four times compared to before the corona crisis, but the current sales of the partition itself have decreased to about 1/100 of the peak. It means that
Seeing that partitions that are no longer needed are likely to be discarded, the company built a new recycling plant in Ibaraki Prefecture last year and is collecting partitions from stores and other locations.
While it has been decided that the position of the new corona will be moved to "Type 5", we are currently developing new products that have been processed such as printing pictures on the collected acrylic plates, and will be released in April this year at the earliest. also want to ramp up production.
"New products that make you happy"
Shinichi Sugawara, the factory manager of "Hazaiya", said, "During the corona crisis, I'm glad that we were able to help prevent infection by using acrylic sheets. If they are separated properly, they can be reused. I want to make new products that people can get," he said.
A fan that prevents flying flies This year is active on the tropical beach!
?
There are other such movements.
Fan shops in Hamamatsu City have mainly sold fans as souvenirs for ceremonial occasions such as coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings, as well as souvenirs for tourist spots. There were months when sales were zero due to restrictions on holding events.
In order to somehow overcome the situation, in August 2020, we started selling folding fans made of plastic to prevent infection.
He thought that by covering his mouth with a translucent fan, he could prevent droplets while showing his face, and in the summer of 2021, about 7,000 were sold in three months.
However, the number of orders gradually decreased, and he felt a change in awareness of infection control, and from July last year, he started trial sales in Okinawa as a fan for the beach that can be used even when it gets wet in the pool or on the beach. We would like to expand our sales channels as we decide to shift to Type 5.
"Corona is an opportunity to learn how to live and manage"
Representative Yuta Oguri said, "Because there are beaches and pools all over the world, I would like you to use them all over the world as a new product for summer from a corona countermeasure product. During the three years of the corona disaster, there were times when I was in a hurry to find a breakthrough. However, it was also an opportunity for me to learn how to live and how to run a business in the future."
the expert is
We asked Professor Kazuya Nakayauchi of Doshisha University, who is researching people's awareness of the corona disaster.
Q. What is people's awareness in 3 years of corona misfortune?
A.In the past few years, we have learned how to deal with it, and it is no longer unknown.
Although it is difficult to imagine that even if it is shifted to "Type 5", it will soon become the same as an infectious disease such as seasonal influenza, but it will become closer as time passes.
Q.Wearing a mask?
A. The background of wearing a mask is not only effective in preventing infection, but also because it is bad for you to stand out and worry about other people's eyes.
Rather than measures such as alcohol disinfection and ventilation, you can immediately see what others and yourself are doing.
If the number of people who remove the mask increases in a chain reaction, the volume zone that people around them would like to remove may be removed all at once.
Q. How will the awareness of home and workplace change?
A. During the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, behavioral changes and work styles changed, and I learned that the most obvious things, such as contacting and talking with people, are very valuable.
On the other hand, I think that even if the cost is small in a broad sense, such as online meetings and telecommuting, not only money but also labor and consideration, it will remain after the corona.