U.S. firms ramping up nitrile glove production

COLEBROOK, N.H.—COVID-19 has spurred unprecedented demand for disposable gloves around the globe and has put a focus on the U.S.'s ability to meet its own needs as the virus continues.

And when Richard Renehan received a call earlier this year from someone in China wanting to buy out his company's complete production of nitrile gloves, he knew he had to jump into action. The CEO of Renco Corp. saw both a need and a business opportunity unfolding.

As far as glove makers go, Renco is not a huge operation in Colebrook, but plans are not to get much bigger very quickly to help satisfy the domestic demand for gloves amid the pandemic.

Renehan for years has been championing a made-in-America message just because it's in the country's best interest not to be so reliant on imports. When it comes to gloves, where more than 90 percent of the world's production takes place in Asia, imports dominate the market.

Renco, in its own little way, is out to change that a bit.

"I'm not a big anti-China (person). We are all the same. We've all got to do our work and everyone has to have a job. It doesn't matter where they are in the world. But there are hugely anti-competitive practices there. I think the world is aware of that. And there is (anti-competitive practices) everywhere. So don't get me wrong on that, either," Renehan said.

"But the point is they did call and ask to buy all of our capacity. I did call DoD (Department of Defense) and said this is a problem. We need to take this seriously," he remembered.

Renehan called anyone he could think of in the federal government, talked about the need to expand domestic production and sought contracts that would allow his company to provide more domestic supply. When news came this summer that the DoD awarded his company a $22 million contract, the door opened for Renco to dramatically expand.

Not only is the company improving existing manufacturing lines, it's adding about 95,000 square feet of space to install two new high-speed lines. They each will measure about 450 feet in length.

The goal is to increase production by about 20 times between the two efforts to about 500 million gloves per year. Ultimately, the CEO said the company could have the ability to produce about 1.2 million gloves per year out of the New Hampshire facility with further expansion.

But Renehan also sees potential beyond the Colebrook site, which operates as American Performance Polymers L.L.C., and hopes to one day expand to other locations in the U.S.

Renco expects to produce gloves on the new lines by next summer while incrementally improving existing production.

Increased production and the installation of new lines brings the opportunity to hire more workers.

Renco has gone from about 10 workers at the beginning of this year, before COVID-19 really hit the U.S., to about 110 workers these days.

"Also, we had to hire some welders and machinists to support the build out of our traditional lines. They are augmenting capacity pretty much on a monthly basis. It's getting better as we go along," Renehan said. "The goal is 20 times (growth). We were pretty small. But we are tracking toward a good size right now."

Renco, meanwhile, is not the only company that sees opportunity in the nitrile glove making business.

A newly formed company, U.S. Medical Glove Co. L.L.C. has revealed plans to create 192 jobs in Paris, Ky., to make medical grade products.

The $32.5 million project expects to be operational sometime during the first half of next year with annual production of more than 1 billion gloves annually.

Initial employment will include 45 computer technicians followed by initial staff as production lines are installed. Latex-based nitrile from Zeon Chemicals in Louisville will be used to make the new Liberty Gloves brand.

Retired Maj. Gen. Michael Davidson, as CEO of U.S. Medical Glove, is looking to not only increase the supply of domestically produced gloves for the U.S., but provide veterans with employment opportunities.

"This plant is part of returning critical product manufacturing to the United States," Davidson, retired from the Kentucky Army National Guard, said in a statement. "Our hiring of veterans is a big part of that. They bring the values and skills they learned in their military service. We describe Liberty Gloves as made for America by Americans."