THE high demand by health and medical practitioners for disposal gloves amid the COVID-19 pandemic has bolstered sales of a small Port Stephens business.
Tonnes of boxes of disposable gloves have literally been trucked out the door of The Glove Company's warehouse in Taylors Beach.
"Demand for disposable gloves has reached epic proportions. Generally we would move around 30 tonne a month, in March we have more than tripled that amount and we are now rationing supply based on critical need," owner Grant Staples said, adding that frontline workers in sectors ranging from health to transport were among those receiving priority.
He and his wife Gaylene began The Glove Company in 2006 with one employee, producing half a tonne of product in a small factory at Salamander Bay.
Today, the multi-million business employs 12 people and stretches its product across the country, New Zealand and to the USA.
"I had been trained in mechanical engineering and as a coating chemist and after returning home from a trip to the USA in 2006 I came up with the concept for high performance black nitrile gloves," Mr Staples said.
"We became the first company in Australia to invent the gloves which today are being used not only in the medical sector but in a range of industries such as defence, aviation, automotive, aerospace, mining, electrical and veterinary services.
Part of the success of The Glove Company is that it only makes protective gloves.
"We simply do one thing and we do it extremely well," Mr Staples said. "We are one of the few glove manufacturers ... who can guarantee that our gloves have been independently tested and accredited...Authorised independent testing is super important to ensure that the gloves protect the user."
Nitrile has the lowest allergy rate of any glove material on the market, and has extremely high chemical resistance, strong puncture resistance and bio hazard protection. The material is considered to be food safe, is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
