USMG adding Ohio NBR latex site to complete domestic glove supply chain

Cincinnati, Ohio - US Medical Glove Company (USMGC) has signed a lease for a new 60,000 sq.m. manufacturing site in the Cincinnati, Ohio, marking the final phase of its plan to build a 'fully domestic supply chain' for medical and surgical gloves.

The privately funded project will involve an investment of between $200-$240 million (€180-€214 million) to produce nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) latex as a critical raw material for nitrile gloves, said USMGC 2 May.

It follows the company's earlier establishment of a polyisoprene production facility in Honea Path, South Carolina, and adds to its national network, which includes a headquarters campus in Harvard, Illinois.

Featuring 18 glove production machines, the Ohio plant will also produce surgical and speciality gloves, sterile IV bag systems as well as medical-use polymers.  

USMGC is currently the only US company producing both the equipment and raw materials required to manufacture nitrile and polyisoprene gloves.

According to the company release, USMGC currently produces over 2 billion units of gloves annually at its Harvard campus and 120 million units of gloves as well as polyisoprene materails in Honea Path.

The company expects the addition of the Ohio site will eliminate its need to import raw materials and could save $20 million annually in shipping costs.

The move will also support supply chain stability and reduce lead times for glove deliveries.

The new facility will primarily produce surgical gloves but will also manufacture exam gloves and speciality gloves for healthcare and industrial use.