US' Showa to triple domestic PPE glove production capacity

Showa group, US’ industrial and medical PPE glove maker, is set to triple production capacity to meet growing demand for “Made in America” PPE gloves. The phased buildout of two additional facilities will increase Showa’s annual domestic production capacity to 1.2 billion gloves by the end of 2022, and 2.8 billion gloves once the buildout is complete.

While the US relied heavily on overseas PPE suppliers pre-pandemic, COVID-19 exposed supply chain vulnerabilities and a critical need to increase domestic production capacity of nitrile gloves. As the only integrated manufacturer of nitrile, single-use PPE gloves with full US onshore capabilities, Showa announced today it has also received contracts from the US Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) totalling $81.3 million to help drive this expansion through the funded buildout of two additional Fayette, Alabama PPE glove manufacturing facilities, the company said in a press release.

Showa invested $35 million to expand its Fayette, Alabama manufacturing facility. The 40,000 square foot facility now includes four additional high-speed monorail lines that will bring total production capacity to 1.2 billion PPE single-use, nitrile gloves by the end of 2022. The DHHS funding will be utilised for the buildout of two new, adjacent manufacturing facilities, which are expected to be operational in June 2023 and September 2024, respectively. Once all three factories are complete, Showa will have a capacity of 2.8 billion gloves annually.

“Showa has operated as a profitable PPE glove manufacturer with roots in the U.S. going back 50 years, and today we have more than 6,500 employees across 8 locations worldwide. Nitrile glove manufacturing is a complex, resource-intensive multi-year process, one that Showa is uniquely positioned to execute with unmatched production capacity, a proven track record and robust financial resources,” Richard Heppell, president and COO, Americas, Oceania and EMEA at Showa group, said in a statement.

“The growing US prioritisation of re-shoring PPE demands industry partners that not only talk the talk, but who have truly walked the walk. SHOWA is the first company to produce a PPE nitrile glove on a line built before and during the pandemic, and the only PPE glove manufacturer with the long-term domestic supply arrangements as specified in domestic procurement legislation and Acts such as the Berry Amendment and Make PPE in America Act,” Heppell added.