It’s being called a perfect storm. The global supply chain for a broad range of products is under unprecedented stress. Shipping congestion is both slowing down deliveries and driving up costs.
Disposable gloves are not exempt from the chaos. From labor shortages in Southeast Asia factories brought about by surges in COVID-19 cases, to scarcity of container vessels, to closed ports, to backed-up ships off the coast of California, countless products—including gloves—are not getting through.
Second of three parts.
On May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that people vaccinated against the coronavirus are safe to go without face masks in most cases. That set off a round of debate: Should we abandon all mask mandates? Is the CDC crazy, especially with the Delta variant spreading?
About six weeks later, the World Health Organization urged even fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks and practicing COVID-19 safety measures such as social distancing. The debate raged on.
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.
Exam-grade nitrile is the glove material of the moment.
Anyone hoping for a steady stream of nitrile gloves this summer had better expect obstacles. Supply chains are still backed up, which increases the number of backorders. Malaysia’s ongoing coronavirus crisis is putting the country in near total lockdown, causing labor shortages and severely limiting production.
If your customers need nitrile gloves right now, AMMEX Professional’s line of exam-grade disposable gloves is a welcome solution.
What standards apply to disposable exam-grade gloves? How do you know if the gloves you are wearing are safe? These are among the most frequent questions we get from distributors and end-users alike.
What is the difference between exam- and industrial-grade gloves?
Expressed as simply as possible: Exam- and industrial-grade gloves vary in quality, specifically in the number of manufacturing defects per batch of gloves. But there is a lot more nuance to it than one might think.
Average sales prices of disposable gloves are going in one direction only: up.
The increased need for gloves worldwide, due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and a greater general awareness of health, safety, and hygiene, drives demand. Manufacturers simply cannot produce enough gloves to satisfy their customers.
COVID-19 is not going away, and if predictions are to be believed, its spread will increase this fall and winter with the arrival of flu season.
