Mah Sing eyes US’ glove market, will buck up on labour matters

WHILE the US market has proven to be a tricky market for Malaysia’s Big-Four glove makers as Top Glove Corp Bhd and Supermax Corp Bhd can testify, this has by no means deterred Mah Sing Group Bhd from trying its luck in the so-called lucrative market.

In fact, the group’s wholly owned Mah Sing Healthcare Sdn Bhd has obtained notification letter dated Dec 4 on the 510(k) Premarket Notification clearances to market nitrile examination gloves from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Gloves produced by Mah Sing Healthcare ready to be shipped to customers

 

“This shall be updated on the FDA website in due course,” the company said in a media statement. “With the 510(k) clearances, Mah Sing Healthcare will be able to market medical grade examination gloves in the US market.”

Mah Sing’s glove division which commenced operation in May 2021 has been producing mainly non-medical and industrial gloves.

But with the FDA’s 510(k) clearances, a recent issuance of a Medical Device License from Health Canada and pending the completion of EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) certificate, Mah Sing Healthcare will be able to export medical-grade gloves to a wider range of markets including major markets such as the US, Canada and Europe.

This is indeed timely as Mah Sing will complete commissioning all 12 production lines by December and have received numerous customer sales enquiries.

Its new high-speed glove dipping machines can produce 38,000 pieces of gloves per production line per hour, enabling a maximum production capacity of up to 3.68 billion pieces of gloves per annum.

Based on industry sources, the global demand for gloves will continue to rise until 2023. Post-pandemic glove demand will expand at a rate of 15% to 20% each year compared to 8% to 10% per year pre-pandemic, according to Mah Sing’s projection.

In addition, the management is determined to put in place enhanced manufacturing practices and shall adhere strictly to environment, social and governance (ESG), and other international regulatory such as International Labour Organisation (ILO) protocols compliance.

“Moving forward, Mah Sing will strive to deliver high quality products while maintaining efficient, professional, and integrity services to our global importers, distributors, and customers,” the company noted.

“Demand for gloves is expected to remain steady due to structural increase in demand, fears of re-infection, increased health awareness, and hygiene compliance requirements for both the healthcare and non-healthcare sectors.”

At 4.06pm, Mah Sing Group was down 0.5 sen or 0.7% to 70.5 sen with 3.73 million shares traded, thus valuing the company at RM1.72 mil. – Dec 6, 2021

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