The global pandemic has highlighted the need for PPE, with the supply of masks rightly front and centre in the media.
However, the use of gloves to aid protection from COVID-19 is also vital but has possibly not received as much attention.
Nitrile gloves are an important defence against the spread of infection, while also being used in the automotive and aeronautical industries.
Nitrile rubber is more resilient and stronger than natural rubber, making it the ideal material in the fight against coronavirus.
Less likely to cause an allergic reaction or puncture than natural rubber, the demand for nitrile gloves has skyrocketed since news first broke of the global crisis.
Supply has struggled to match demand and the consequent price hike has made obtaining the products a tough task.
News that a number of effective vaccines will be rolled out in the next few months is a huge relief, but we are not through this yet.
The winter months will provide challenges for all involved in the fight against the spread and those on the frontline must be properly equipped.
Nobody saw the global pandemic coming and so producers have struggled to keep up with demand.
One major problem is that nitrile glove manufacturing is a complex process. The raw materials are very difficult to access in some parts of the world.
Also, the gloves must be made to the correct standard or it will put users at risk and so corners cannot be cut in the production process.
Unlike masks and gown manufacturing which can be replicated and grown on a fast scale, glove manufacturing is a precision process.
New factories take millions of pounds and years to commission, meaning supply will most likely not level with demand until at least the very end of 2021.
This, coupled with a global pandemic, is the reason it’s not possible to cope with demand and prices go up as a result.
Differing governmental responses to the COVID-19 crisis means demand varies from region to region, with the USA’s case count spiralling out of control.
There is every chance that cases could continue to climb on a steep upward curve before it is all over and so the demand for nitrile gloves is not going to go away any time soon.
Stronghold Global can help in the supply so please get in touch with us on 0845 208 4500 or at healthcare@strongholdglobal.com.
