Supermax to build €20m gloves plant in Brazil

Kuala Lumpur – Supermax Corp. has announced plans to establish a medical glove manufacturing facility in Parana, Brazil, in a project valued at BRL250 million (€43 million).

In a 28 May statement, the Malaysian glove maker said the project would be undertaken by associate company Supermax Brasil Importadora S/A and marks the group’s first manufacturing footprint in South America.

The proposed facility will be built on industrial land in Parana, in southern Brazil, and will feature production lines with an installed capacity of 2.4 billion gloves per year.

The plant will be designed to manufacture both natural rubber latex and nitrile examination gloves, with production lines to be installed in phases.

Supermax said the investment supports its long-term international expansion strategy and strengthens its presence in Latin America's healthcare and industrial sectors.

Brazil, it said, offers “a compelling long-term growth opportunity” due to its large healthcare sector, growing regional demand for medical and industrial gloves, access to the Mercosur trading bloc and government initiatives aimed at reducing import dependency.

Output from the new facility will primarily serve the Brazilian market and Mercosur countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The company is also targeting expansion into associate member countries such as Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

The investment will be implemented in two phases, with an initial BRL150 million phase funded through internal resources and retained earnings, followed by a second expansion phase to support future growth.

Based in Selangor, Malaysia, Supermax has the capacity to produce over 23 billion pieces of gloves per year across 10 manufacturing plants in Malaysia.

In the first quarter of 2025, the group also commenced production at its manufacturing plant in Brazoria County, Texas.

The first of the four phases of the Texas plant is designed to produce up to 400 million gloves per month.

When fully completed, the US facility will be able to produce 19.2 billion gloves per year to meet domestic consumption in the US.