Unit of shoemaker that supplies Adidas, Reebok sees delays after 6% workers quit

Pouyuen Vietnam, a unit of one of the world’s largest makers of athletic shoes, is struggling to meet orders after 6% of its workforce quit amid the nation’s worst Covid-19 virus outbreak, according to a post on the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Party Committee’s website.

The company, a subsidiary of Pou Chen Corp. that makes shoes for brands such as Adidas AG, Reebok International Ltd and Converse Inc. in Ho Chi Minh City, is seeing exports affected by production delays, according to the post, which cited Lu Chi Yuan, the unit’s director during a visit to the plant by the city’s Party Chief Nguyen Van Nen on Tuesday.

The production problems come more than a month after the nation’s commercial hub and surrounding industrial provinces began lifting tough lockdowns that led to factory closures and other restrictions. 

A representative of Pouyuen Vietnam confirmed the report, saying about 51,000 workers have returned to work and the company is recruiting 4,000 workers.