Gloveworks Has a Firm Grip on Auto Technicians’ Loyalty

An automotive tech works on a yellow car in a garage.

Historically, people who work on cars and trucks have not widely used disposable gloves. For generations of mechanics, hand protection simply was not a big concern.

Why? In many cases—at least until the last couple decades—they lacked the information they needed to make the right choice for safety. Heck, even today the industry is only 120 or so years old. The evolution to new ideas can be long and laborious.

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A Little Glove Foresight Can Help Prevent Jan/San Injuries

Cleaning carpet while wearing Gloveworks green nitrile disposable gloves.

When you think of professions with high injury rates, you most likely turn to such jobs as commercial fishing, logging, or roofing. Janitorial work may not seem perilous—but the injuries jan/san crews suffer should not be taken lightly.

Especially troublesome are hand injuries, which can result in missed work, elevated worker’s comp premiums, and less quality control. A solution can be as simple as ensuring employees have the right glove for the job—something that AMMEX specializes in.

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4 Reasons Why You Should Work with AMMEX

Two people shake hands while wearing blue nitrile disposable gloves.

During the pandemic, many distributors scrambled to find a glove vendor—while others dropped products altogether, including single-use gloves, because of the difficulty and/or cost of obtaining them.

Have you asked why you are buying from your current disposable glove vendor? Now might be the time to make sure that your organization has a clear understanding of what differentiates your suppliers.

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Glove Market Update: Factory Utilization Likely to Stay Low Into ’24

Hand formers at a disposable glove factory wait between uses.

Most disposable glove factories prefer to run their production lines almost non-stop to make money, in a concept known as factory utilization. It is common that a factory needs a 50% utilization rate to break even.

Throughout 2023, factory utilization rates for most of the disposable glove industry have been well below 50% because of massive capacity added during the pandemic and high excess inventory amounts at the end-user level.

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Glove Market Update: The Roller-Coaster Ride of Logistics Costs

An 18-wheeler drives down a lonely highway with a sunrise in the background.

Costs of doing business in the disposable glove market seem to be leveling off after several years of big swings. United Parcel Service and the Teamsters reached a deal to avoid a strike by getting the raises the drivers wanted. Thus, higher labor costs will likely affect the price of most goods they transport.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association also forged their own deal after months of labor strife; you can expect that agreement to eventually factor into product costs as well.

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Glove Market Update: Reducing Excess Inventory

A warehouse full of boxes.

As we look forward to Q4 of 2023, the year has been a mixed bag of outcomes for disposable gloves.

The pandemic boosted demand, and more gloves are used in North America than ever. At the same time, many large distributors and end users are still dealing with excess inventory, as prices have dropped and challenges with labor, logistics, and factory utilization continue.

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Q4 Glove Market Update: Inventory, Logistics, Utilization Rates

A photo captures a long shot of a warehouse with light pouring in.

Every quarter, AMMEX examines the impacts of key drivers on the disposable glove market.

The market, and the aspects of distribution surrounding it, are extremely nuanced. We don’t have a crystal ball, so we’re not telling you what will happen. We’re not even trying to make predictions—our goal is to highlight the primary factors influencing the market.

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Janitorial, Sanitation Jobs Demand Better Hand Protection

A jan/san worker operates a sprayer while wearing black nitrile gloves.

The push is on to return workers to offices across the country. Both commercial and government entities are exerting pressure to persuade currently remote employees to come in from the field, at least three days a week and in many cases full-time.

That puts janitorial and sanitation workers in the spotlight once again. Offices that have sat vacant since the pandemic first spread in 2020 again will have to be regularly cleaned and sanitized.

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The Realities of Sustainability and Disposable Gloves

Hands wearing disposable gloves hold a pile of dirt with a tiny plant.

Sustainability has evolved from buzzword to mantra to guiding principle for many. Operating from the notion that resources are finite and should be used with a view toward long-term priorities, it’s pure in intent yet can be polarizing.

It is a topic that often comes up in conjunction with disposable gloves. Long the subject of pressure from activists and start-ups intent on somehow reinventing the product, single-use gloves have by their very definition proven elusive as the target of environmental crusaders.

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