We frequently hear from customers who say they bought gloves from another vendor at a low price, but they can’t find that deal again. In fact, that vendor can’t seem to source the glove at all.
If you’re an industrial distributor, you’ve likely come across vendors who can’t be trusted to consistently deliver what you need at a price that works for you. Sure, it’s nice to save a few bucks here or there on a case of gloves, but can you count on that arrangement to hold up over time?
We often have conversations about this question with customers and partners, and while the precise answer may vary, we aim to keep it simple: We help our customers buy the right disposable glove for the job. And we effectively reduce risk with expert services and tools.
Since the company’s founding in 1988—yes, in March we’re coming up on 35 years in business—we’ve been helping our clients with all aspects of global procurement, supply chain, and operations to ensure quality and efficiency in the single-use glove market.
Second of three parts
Most distributor partners of AMMEX count disposable gloves as only a small percentage of their overall business. That figure is between 2% and 5%, depending on which industry they’re servicing.
That may not seem like much emphasis. But in truth, success is less about how much significance you attach to the percentage of gloves in your overall catalog. What really matters is market penetration and the percentage of overall glove spend you’ve captured within your customer base, says Corey Townsell, vice president of sales at AMMEX.
Why do prices of disposable gloves vary so much between products, and between those who sell them?
Why does inventory come and go? (Those hybrid vinyl/nitrile gloves that you may have loved during the pandemic are much harder to find now.)
Vinyl gloves are the workhorses of the disposable glove world. They may not be sexy, but they get the job done.
If your glove customers are cost conscious above all, vinyl should be your first recommendation. There are three industries in which they are a perfect fit under most circumstances.
For the first time in two years, the coronavirus is not the No. 1 issue affecting global markets. Instead, oil prices—and the war in Ukraine—have become the top disruptors slowing trade and driving up costs.
That doesn’t mean COVID is going away just yet. Governments have been lifting restrictions imposed to slow its spread, including rules governing travel, socializing, mask wearing, and self-isolation. But still it lingers, and in some countries it is thriving.
In these make-or-break times for restaurants, cleanliness has never been more important. And you can’t have a truly clean restaurant without disposable gloves.
Food and beverage sales in the restaurant industry are projected to total $789 billion in 2021, up 19.7% from 2020. That’s an encouraging turnaround, considering that during the pandemic the industry has lost nearly $300 billion in sales.
Unlike latex gloves, nitrile and vinyl gloves are not made from natural rubber. These gloves come from synthetic materials, but the manufacturing process is essentially the same as latex glove production.
Neither nitrile nor vinyl gloves will aggravate sensitivities to latex, and are largely replacing latex gloves in most applications, especially food service and medical use.
The last 15 months since the coronavirus spread globally have, of course, been a frustrating time for everyone in the disposable glove industry.
For end users, a lot of that frustration stems from the lack of a consistent brand experience. If you can’t buy the gloves you want from a source you trust, you may have to use less-than-honorable sellers. And that means quality can suffer.
In talking with AMMEX customers over the last few weeks, a common pain point has emerged: their struggle with backorders.
An inconvenience even in the best of economic times, backorders of just about any consumer product you can name have become a major problem for wholesalers and retailers alike.
