The world’s largest rubber glove maker Top Glove on Wednesday said it expected prices of medical rubber gloves to increase due to supply shortages. The statement came after the producer shut plants in the Klang area in Malaysia due to COVID-19 infections among thousands of its workers. The company stated it expected only a small percentage of order cancellations for customers. So far, no customers had cancelled orders, the company noted.
Malaysia is fighting the country’s biggest COVID-19 outbreak in Klang, where Top Glove’s factories and dormitories are located. According to the Security Ministry, 5,795 of 11,215 Top Glove employees have been screened, and 2,684 of them have tested positive. The ministry asks for over 2,200 workers outside the affected zone to be tested as well.
Following the screening, 28 of Top Glove’s buildings in the area will be quarantined and closed. As of Wednesday, the company said it had shut 16 of them and reduced capacity at the remaining 12. However, it did not disclose how many production facilities were affected by the closure. Some estimated that it affected half of Top Glove’s production capacity. The company employs 16,000 factory workers at 47 sites in Malaysia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
