Health Supply U.S., located in North Carolina, has recently reported that they are in the process of bringing a $150M nitrile glove PPE production and distribution center to South Carolina. In this time of employment struggles and inflationary economics, this new facility will get at least 600 new employment opportunities to the area. This facility will bring many much-needed employment opportunities to the site and allow critical medical personal protective equipment to be made back in America, reducing our reliance on foreign facilities for PPE supplies.
This announcement was made on June 6th at a heavily attended annual conference. This annual conference was packed with high-level company leaders in the Westin Poinsett Hotel. Other leaders participating in this event included South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and the United States, Senator Lindsay Graham.
A subsidiary of Health Supply U.S. will be leading the new operation. Initial forecasts are that the facility expects to produce approximately 4.3B nitrile gloves each year.
What Is a Nitrile Glove?
Contrary to latex gloves made from natural rubber and protect against bacteria and viruses, nitrile gloves have synthetic rubber. They are resistant to punctures and can withstand harsh cleaning chemicals.
Nitrile disposable gloves are made from a synthetic rubber called nitrile. Nitrile is a polymer consisting of more than 95% acrylonitrile monomer (ACN), with the remainder being other hydrocarbons and small amounts of stabilizers and curing agents. Nitrile is similar to natural rubber but has better resistance to oils and solvents than natural rubber.
Nitrile gloves are available in many different styles and sizes, ranging from thin latex-free gloves for light-duty work to thick cut-resistant gloves for heavy-duty tasks like handling sharp tools.
Nitrile gloves are available in different thicknesses and levels of dexterity. Thinner gloves provide less protection but can be worn for longer periods before they deteriorate. Healthcare professionals often use them because they have good tactile sensitivity and allow the wearer to perform delicate procedures such as dressing wounds or administering injections with minimal interference.
Lighter-weight nitrile gloves offer more flexibility than heavier ones, but they may not be as durable or puncture resistant. These gloves are typically used when handling objects with sharp edges or protruding parts such as glass shards or metal fragments. They are also ideal for working with flammable materials such as gasoline and other petroleum products.
Facility
There will be a new state-of-the-art distribution and production facility located at 1 Quality Way, next to Beechtree Business Park on Highway 25 between I-85 and I-185. The new facility will be 400,000 square feet in size.
This move is part of the company’s plan to return critical healthcare supplies to the United States to ensure national security. Christopher Garcia, CEO of Health Supply U.S., stated that the move was inspired by the lessons learned from supply chain disruptions during the pandemic.
According to Garcia, “Nitrile gloves are just one of the many medical items that keep our frontline health care professionals safe, and the first responders protected, an item that cannot be entirely reliant on international markets for its domestic supply in the future.
