Ms Wong, who lives in a four-room Housing and Development Board flat with her husband and child, said that they switched on their air-conditioners every evening “without fail”.Ms Wong and her husband were initially eyeing a Mitsubishi air-conditioner but after hearing that it was out of stock and new units would come in only around August, they scrapped the idea and decided to go for their second choice — a Daikin air-con.
The lockdowns in China due to its zero-Covid approach also disrupted semiconductor production operations, with suppliers such as Foxconn being hit by the stoppage of work in mid-March, news agency Reuters reported. To manage the issue, she checks with her customers to see who needs the fans more urgently and then prioritises who receives them first.
“If a customer’s washing machine spoils, I don't think they will use a washing board for three months just to wait for a specific brand. Luckily most of my customers are quite understanding and will change to another model.” Sales for portable air-conditioning units have gone up by 200 to 300 per cent and Mr Teh is selling 30 to 40 fans per day now, compared to just 10 per day before May.