How Gloves Are Made
Sempermed Introduces SemperForce™ Black Nitrile Exam Glove
Sempermed Introduces SemperSure™ Accelerator Free Nitrile Exam Glove
Latex Glove Costs—
Reasons For The Continued Rising Costs of Latex Gloves
2011 has brought new challenges for the exam glove industry. Over the past 10 years, the overall trend of latex glove pricing has been down. This came to a sudden stop in the 4th quarter of 2010. Since then, latex and as a result latex gloves have risen sharply in price.
Why is this happening? There are 3 main causes for this. First is demand. China & India are experiencing double digit increases in demand for all natural resources. This is 1/3 of the population of the world. In the past, these two countries used minimal resources in comparison to their population. As the economies of China & India develop further, we can expect them to use more resources of all kinds.
Latex production cannot keep up with demand. Latex is farmed in a similar fashion to maple syrup in this country. Land usage for these plantations is huge. As the societies in South East Asia develop, people use more land. Just as farm land in this country is now used for housing, manufacturing, golf courses and shopping centers, land usage in SE Asia is now changing. Fewer plantations are being planted and maintained.
Finally, the weak dollar effects all imported products. Small fluctuations in the value of the dollar, effects the overall price for gloves. We are all feeling the pressure of the higher latex costs. Now, what is Spina Dental Supplies doing to help our customers & potential customers?
First, Spina Dental will continue to offer latex gloves at the lowest price possible. Second, we are diligently investigating all latex alternatives. We are increasing our supply of synthetic and nitrile gloves. We are working with our manufacturers, Sempermed & Kimberly Clark to offer the best pricing our high level of customer service will allow.
Be assured, Spina Dental will continue to be your wisest choice for all your glove needs. We are here for our customers. Please contact me or any customer representative if you have a question or concern.
Craig Chrisman
Thailand to Buy 100,000 Tons of Rubber Stocks to Lift Price
Written by HMH | November 16, 2011
By Supunnabul Suwannakij
Nov. 16 — Thailand, the world largest rubber producer and exporter, plans to spend 10 billion baht to build up inventories of natural rubber by 100,000 metric tons in a move to shore up prices, according to the Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund.
The plan is subject to cabinet approval, Wit Pratuckchai, the office’s director-general, said by phone today. The government has also encouraged farmers to delay tapping from now to January to cut supply, he said.
The Thai government will sign an agreement today to sell 180,000 tons of rubber at $3.5 a kilogram to a state enterprise of China, said Wit, who is joining a trip with Pornsak Jarernprasert, deputy farm minister, to China.
(Source: Bloomberg)
Thailand: Rubber growers to cut supply 25%
Written by HMH | November 16, 2011
Rubber growers in the southern provinces have agreed to reduce supply by at least 25% in an attempt to stabilise prices that have been declining steadily for two months.
Under the agreement, planters will reduce tapping to 15 days a month from 20 during the high season, said Wit Pratuckchai, director-general of the Office of the Rubber Repainting Aid Fund.
Delaying output entering the market is among several measures intended to shore up para rubber prices. They were agreed on at a weekend meeting among growers in 14 southern provinces, traders and agriculture officials.
Prices of natural rubber have fallen to about 81-85 baht this week for a kilogramme of unsmoked rubber sheet, from 128-133 baht in September.
The decline reflects falling prices in major commodity markets such as the Tokyo Commodity Exchange, where the December contract this week was bid at US$3.23 for a kilogramme of ribbed smoked sheet grade 3 (RSS3), compared with $4 to $4.40 earlier for the October contract and $4.60 to $470 for September delivery.
The Thai Rubber Association attributed the decline to the economic crisis in Europe, as well as the flooding in Thailand which has severely hurt automobile and auto-parts plants, major users of natural rubber.
According to Mr Wit, the International Rubber Consortium Company (IRCo), formed by three leading rubber producers _ Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand _ will meet this weekend and may discuss plans to slow down exports.
Such cooperation among IRCo worked successfully two years ago to salvage prices which had dropped critically to 57 baht/kg on average, from 78 baht _ the average selling price of unsmoked sheet products in 2008.
A source at IRCo said that Thailand would propose that members strive to maintain export prices at not lower than $3 per kg for RSS3.
In the longer term, Mr Wit said a committee representing all parties in the industry would be formed to work out how to manage rubber in state stocks and draft measures to prevent price volatility.
He said that the Agriculture Ministry was considering setting up a 10-billion-baht intervention fund to buy rubber from the market. The money would be available to finance traders who agree to buy rubber from planters at prices not lower than 120 baht/kg for unsmoked rubber sheet.
Some of the funds will also be lent to farm cooperatives to absorb supply from the market during the high season.
He said these measures needed the support of the government in order to protect the 203-billion-baht rubber export industry and save one million farm households.
Mr Wit also said that he was investigating claims by some farmers that traders in China had delayed imports of Thai rubber products because of large stocks in the mainland.
Together with Deputy Agriculture Minister Pornsak Charoenprasert, Mr Wit yesterday departed for China to witness the signing of an agreement to sell 180,000 tonnes of rubber at $3.50 a kilogramme by a Thai company to a state enterprise of China.
