Outfits made by manufacturer in SE China’s Fujian make their way to Olympics

At the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26 in Paris, France, members of the Chinese delegation appeared wearing outfits made by Joeone, a menswear manufacturer located in southeast China's Fujian Province.

In 2018, Joeone became the official outfit supplier of the Chinese delegations during sports events taking place between 2018 and 2024.

How did this company make a pair of pants go from a small city in southeast China to the world stage over the past thirty-five years?

Infrared positioning assists in pocket opening at the factory of Joeone, located in Quanzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Ye Qingqing)

In the 1980s, Joeone started with 12 sewing machines and caught the wave of reform and opening up in Quanzhou, a place known for its miracles in the development of enterprises.

"I want to dig a well ten meters wide and a hundred meters deep, not one that is a hundred meters wide but only three meters deep," said Lin Congying, founder of Joeone. These words, reflecting Lin's dedication, moved Xu Fang, vice general manager of Joeone and general manager of the manufacturing center of the company, twenty years ago.

Xu left her high-paying job in Zhejiang Province to participate in the company's transformation, a transformation that has led to a smarter and more efficient production process.

At Joeone's factory in Quanzhou city, Fujian Province, production lines were running smoothly with workers carrying out their tasks. Being a labor-intensive industry, clothing manufacturing relies on the presence and efforts of workers.

"The fabric's elasticity poses a challenge for machines to grasp, which is why workers are still needed for precise handling," explained Zhang Yanyan, director of the general office of Joeone.

"In recent years, our production equipment has undergone continuous upgrades, greatly improving the efficiency of workers," Zhang said.

Previously requiring three to five workers, a workbench now only requires one person to complete the operation. (People's Daily Online/Ye Qingqing)

At the other end of the workshop, batches of pants are continuously transported through an intelligent hanging system to various different work groups.

"This system replaces traditional manual handling, recording, and statistical methods in production, enabling a streamlined and digitized workflow throughout the process," Zhang said.

"In the past, a worker could only produce 0.45 of a pair of pants within a given time frame. Now, within the same working hours, each worker can produce 1.2 to 1.5 pairs of pants," said Xu.

Photo shows the factory of Joeone located in Quanzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Joeone has contributed to the development of over 30 national industry standards for suit pants, jeans, casual pants, and more in recent years.

In 2023, the company achieved a total operating income of 3.055 billion yuan (about $422 million), representing a year-on-year growth of 16.60 percent.

"Making a pair of pants is simple. Making a good pair of pants is difficult. For many years, Joeone has been dedicated to making a 'good pair of pants'," Xu stated.

Photo shows the factory of Joeone located in Quanzhou city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Ye Qingqing)