The current state of the disposable glove market is defined by several factors that have become common over the last few years.
On the surface, the market appears to be in good shape. Acute glove shortages are behind us, pricing has returned to favorable levels, the supply chain has seen many broken links repaired, and there is no longer a sense of emergency weighing heavily on the entire glove trade.
Compliance is not a flashy topic in the realm of disposable gloves.
Despite its lofty position as one of four pillars in AMMEX’s core capabilities—along with fill rates, quality control, and customer service—it may not enjoy the buzz that surrounds the other three.
What do you think constitutes superior customer service?
The answers to that question are myriad, of course, and depend largely on the type of business one is referring to. What’s tops in jet engines is different from ubiquitous online retailers or answering the phone at Butterball Turkey’s Thanksgiving hotline.
First of four parts
In a unique way, the disposable glove market continues to work through an interesting set of circumstances initiated by the pandemic. The devil is always in the details and involves looking at operational factors beyond simple price comparisons.
Do you work with heavy machinery all day? Are you concerned about hand protection? (Hint: You should be.) Industrial needs for disposable gloves are multifaceted and often of great urgency.
Whether you’re running massive folding machines in a commercial laundry, using tools in countless applications to keep the equipment in top shape—or performing countless other jobs—you need to know your hands are safe. You never know when a sharp edge, abrasive surface, chemicals, or another potentially harmful object or substance could inflict serious injuries.
Cleaning products make our workplaces and homes safer by removing potentially hazardous dirt, grime, germs, and assorted detritus from the environment. But what about the people doing the cleaning?
Hazards are part of the daily routine for janitorial and sanitation workers, who must deal with potentially harmful chemicals that can be found in cleaners for glass, metal, and other substances, including hydrofluoric acid, nitrilotriacetate, and phosphoric acid.
If you work with heavy machinery or use tools all day on the job, there is a significant risk to your hands from sharp edges, abrasive surfaces, chemicals, and other potentially harmful objects or substances.
When it comes to hand protection for hazardous environments, you want Gloveworks Nitrile with Raised Diamond Texture (RDT) on your side. These gloves stand up to the rigors of tools and machinery while also delivering dexterity, durability, and—maybe best of all—comfort.
Have you ever had a situation where a customer needed a glove—and you couldn’t get the right size, or color, or mil thickness?
Maybe they were on backorder. Maybe something more complicated was involved, like labor issues at the factory or the port.
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.
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.
