Razer to set up vending machines for masks in Singapore

With the number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore still rising, access to surgical masks has become paramount.

In line with this, gaming lifestyle brand Razer has announced that it will be setting up vending machines for surgical masks in the city-state, which people can access using Razer Pay, Razer Fintech’s mobile wallet app.

Photo credit: Razer

The company plans to deploy 20 of these machines before the circuit breaker is expected to be lifted on June 1. They will be placed in JustCo co-working centers, near the central business district, and inside Frasers Property Retail’s malls, which are located near transportation nodes.

Razer also plans to make one free surgical mask available to every adult aged 16 and above in Singapore. The allocation will be done via the Razer Pay app, which will issue a QR code coupon to users after a verification process. Verified users can then scan the code on the vending machines to collect their free mask. The app will provide users with the locations of these vending machines as well.

The company expects to give out a total of 5 million masks as part of the initiative.

Over the next few weeks, Razer said that it will be conducting initial beta testing of the vending machines, along with the Razer Pay integration, as it ramps up vending machine deployment and mask supply.

People interested to take part in the testing phase will have to download Razer Pay, verify their account, and wait up to one working day for approval.

To ensure a continuous supply of masks, the firm has partnered with local manufacturing company Sunningdale Tech to deploy a fully automated mask production line in Singapore that will be able to produce 5 million masks a month at full capacity. Razer aims to double the production to 10 million masks per month soon.

“Masks have inevitably become a scarce necessity during this pandemic as we take precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus,” said Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan. “Now that Razer’s dedicated mask production line is officially opened, we will make it our responsibility as Singaporeans to step up and support the community.”