In the food service market, price can be an outsized factor for single-use gloves. With a lot of eateries operating on razor-thin margins, operators often must be frugal.
At the same time, safety and hygiene are paramount when working with food. That makes disposable gloves much more than simple accessories—they are vital tools in preventing contamination and ensuring the safety of both staff and customers (and, ultimately, the business).
The disposable glove industry is not widely known for its dedication to customer service.
That is, of course, not a universal statement; many vendors have good, even great, relationships with customers. For the most part, though, the disposable glove industry is where one business sells a commodity to another: It’s purely transactional.
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.
September is upon us, and with it, National Food Safety Education Month. It’s our annual reminder from the National Restaurant Association to help raise awareness among foodservice employees about proper handling of food.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that every year, an estimated 1 in 6 people in the U.S. (or 48 million people) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from eating contaminated food.
As we’ve mentioned in recent weeks, despite overall volatility in global markets, disposable gloves are in a good place.
The first half of 2023 has seen a number of factors pose challenges: threats of recession, interest rate hikes, persistent inflation, and a general sense of dread about the short-term health of the economy (which has, nevertheless, largely remained strong).
Myriad issues can influence the cost and availability of disposable gloves. These factors were of course magnified during the pandemic, where unstable prices and abrupt twists and turns of availability drove buyers and sellers alike to take any steps necessary to acquire product.
Regardless of how the market has changed post-pandemic, one thing that remains the same is that most gloves are sourced from across the world, specifically SE Asia and China. This is where the variables begin to stack up, from manufacturing costs to ocean shipping to domestic transport.
Most customer-facing employees working for any industrial distributor—no matter how knowledgeable they are—are likely not as successful at selling disposable gloves. That’s no knock on anybody, just the truth that accompanies an unusual product.
Why? Because gloves are a strange commodity: Practically every business uses them, but sales reps who truly understand the nuances of the product or the market are few and far between.
Being able to source disposable gloves when needed is essential for any distributor. If your customers have a need, you want to be able to fill it quickly and efficiently.
The ability to source gloves at scale—an unpredictable and expensive proposition—is priceless.
There is nothing worse than when you and your customers are waiting on products. Not only is it aggravating and heartburn-inducing, but it also can damage your business relationships.
Don’t put yourself through the headaches of wondering when your shipments are going to arrive. If you use vendors that are not well-connected with a network of factories, it can cause problems for keeping your customers supplied.
If there’s a thread that runs throughout AMMEX’s 35-year history, it’s commitment to customers.
Ever since 24-year-old Fred Crosetto started this company in 1988—and at first sold gloves out of the trunk of his car as he built his brand—AMMEX’s focus has been on delivering what customers need, as well as helping them grow their glove sales.
