China-based ZALL Group (ZALL) has donated one million surgical masks to the Singapore Red Cross (SRC). The shipment arrived in Singapore yesterday from China on Singapore Airlines flight SQ8259, and was delivered by ezbuy.sg land transportation fleet.
The goodwill gesture underscores the strong collaboration between the international community and Singapore corporations including Singapore Airlines (SIA), in supporting SRC’s response efforts towards the vulnerable groups in Singapore – in particular the migrant workers, the elderly, and frontline workers – as they tackle the COVID-19 global pandemic.
The donation is one of several humanitarian aid initiatives by ZALL to shore up preparedness and resilience of countries during the coronavirus outbreak.
“The Singapore Red Cross is grateful to the ZALL Group for its donation of one million surgical masks in support of the vulnerable groups in Singapore. The masks are a precious resource, and we will be distributing them to thousands in these vulnerable groups. The masks will also help protect our frontline staff and volunteers as they serve the most vulnerable in our community, like the elderly living alone, the severely disabled in our Red Cross Home for the Disabled and the migrant workers living in the dormitories. I am glad that corporates like the ZALL Group have stepped forward to help boost our COVID-19 local response efforts,” said Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General/CEO, Singapore Red Cross.
“Singapore Airlines plays an important role in transporting essential medical supplies and other equipment that support Singapore’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. We are pleased to work with ZALL on this initiative, which helps to increase the supply of face masks and safeguards the general public health,” said Mr Chin Yau Seng, Senior Vice President Cargo, Singapore Airlines.
ZALL Group, Asia’s leading business-to-business (“B2B”) e-commerce group, was the first company to respond and deliver emergency medical supplies to Wuhan on 26 January within 48 hours of the city’s lockdown, riding on their global end-to-end supply chain capabilities, networks and resources in Asia.
As the coronavirus outbreak widened rapidly in Asia and around the world, ZALL further expanded its manufacturing capabilities to produce face masks, with a production capacity of more than three million masks a day, and has worked with governments, embassies and civil aviation authorities across Asia to provide medical aid and equipment to curb the spread of the virus.
The Group recently also partnered Alibaba to launch two ebooks to share their knowledge and experience on Fangcang shelter hospitals and emergency hospitals that has been published in more than 20 different languages to empower governments around the world in their fight against COVID-19.
Singapore is the first country outside China that ZALL is providing medical supplies, and the Group will be supplying Singapore, including this donation, with a total of more than 2 million surgical masks this month. ezbuy.sg, a subsidiary of the Group, has also donated and distributed over 300,000 masks to all people living in Singapore via http://www.ezbuy.sg/getmask/.
To date, 100,000 families have received masks from ezbuy.sg. Beyond Singapore, ZALL will also be sending medical supplies to other affected regions across more than 10 countries around the world, such as Japan, France, Czech Republic, Indonesia, India, Peru and Ecuador, as well as Central and West African countries, including Cameroon, Congo, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Mr Peter Yu, Chief Executive Officer of ZALL Group International commented, “Singapore is an important market in our long-term growth strategy as we continue to grow our investments in the region. The severity of the coronavirus outbreak requires everyone to play a part to alleviate the crises, and we are committed to supporting Singapore’s efforts to fight the outbreak. We will also leverage on Singapore’s strengths as a regional hub and its excellent connectivity with the rest of the world to provide assistance through Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC), ezbuy.sg and our technology-enabled ecosystem to areas where there are shortages in medical aid and equipment.”
Since 2018, ZALL has invested in five projects in Singapore, including the Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC), Singapore’s first physical commodity eTrading platform (B2B) powered by blockchain technology; ezbuy.sg, Singapore’s leading global online shopping platform; ZMA Smart Capital, an online trade finance company; ZALL Chain Technology, a blockchain solutions company; and the recent application for the Singapore digital banking licence. Through these and future initiatives, ZALL hopes to contribute to the development of digital finance, blockchain solutions and the trading ecosystem in Singapore.
About ZALL Group
ZALL Group is a leading Chinese B2B e-commerce group (ranked 166th of Fortune China 500 companies) with a global footprint across the world and is listed on three exchanges on HKSE, NYSE and SSE. ZALL Group develops and operates Asia’s largest B2B offline-to-online trade ecosystem in China and Southeast Asia, including Singapore, with more than 30 B2B platforms in China, US and Singapore, and a GFA of more than 10 million sqm of wholesale trade centres in China. In 2018, ZALL Group achieved a GMV of more than RMB 600 billion (US$85.2 bn), serving over 1 mil SME customers worldwide. ZALL also has a virtual banking licence and currently operates Z-Bank in China since 2017, one of China’s leading digital banks that has supported more than 5.5 million SME and individual customers. For more information, please visit http://en.zallcn.com/
About ezbuy.sg
ezbuy.sg is Singapore’s first home-grown and largest cross-border B2C shopping platform managed and owned by LightInTheBox Holding Co., Ltd, a global e-commerce company listed in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: LITB). ezbuy.sg offers an extensive selection across various product categories, including fashion, home & living, mother & kids, consumer electronics, beauty & health, office supplies, sports & outdoors and automotive, that provides the most convenient and cost-saving way to bring products from China, USA, Taiwan, and Korea to every Singaporean. For more information, please visit https://ezbuy.sg/
About the Singapore Red Cross
Singapore Red Cross is a homegrown humanitarian organisation, dedicated to relieving human suffering, protecting lives and dignity, and responding to emergencies since 1949. We serve the vulnerable through our blood donor recruitment programme, home and day activity centre for the disabled, transport aid, family life aid, and community first aid. We build capacity and resilience through our training academy, and volunteer and youth development. Beyond our shores, we mobilise and translate contributions from the donor community to relief and recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, with the aim of helping communities affected by disasters. For more information, please visit https://redcross.sg/.
About Singapore Airlines
The SIA Group’s history dates back to 1947 with the maiden flight of Malayan Airways Limited. The airline was later renamed Malaysian Airways Limited and then Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). In 1972, MSA split into Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysian Airline System. Initially operating a modest fleet of 10 aircraft to 22 cities in 18 countries, SIA has since grown to be a world-class international airline group.
SIA is the world’s most awarded airline, and is committed to the constant enhancement of the three main pillars of its brand promise: Service Excellence, Product Leadership and Network Connectivity. The SIA Group fleet and network have expanded in support of the development of its portfolio strategy, in which it has investments in both full-service and low-cost airline operations. This portfolio of airlines serving short-, medium- and long-haul markets gives the SIA Group more flexibility and nimbleness, with the right vehicles to serve the right markets.
In 2018, Singapore Airlines launched the world’s longest commercial flight, with non-stop services between Singapore and New York, as well as non-stop services between Singapore to Los Angeles, and increased non-stop services to San Francisco, using the new Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range). In September 2019, Seattle became the fifth US city in Singapore Airlines’ route network – and the fourth to be served non-stop from Singapore.
SIA has invested in new-generation passenger aircraft, which means that it has one of the youngest airline fleets in the world. Operating these fuel-efficient aircraft such as Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s allows SIA to substantially reduce its carbon emissions, and support its goal of operating a more sustainable business.