Thai glove producer Sri Trang Gloves, which has a secondary listing on the SGX Mainboard, has commissioned a new facility in Sadao District, Songkhla.
The latest expansion follows the opening of two other facilities in Surat Thani Province earlier this year and brings the total number of facilities currently operated by Sri Trang Gloves to ten.
The THB1.6 billion ($65 million) Sadao facility is able to produce a diverse range of products, including natural latex and nitrile gloves. Upon completion of the facility’s ramp-up to eight production lines in April 2022, it will be able to produce three billion gloves annually.
The new facility will contribute to Sri Trang Gloves' target to increase its annual production capacity from 35 billion gloves currently to 80 billion by 2024.
See also: Sri Trang Gloves expands to match up with Covid-19 fight
According to the company, the self-sustaining Sadao facility operates on biomass renewable energy harvested from mature rubber trees that have reached the end of their rubber-producing lifecycle. This results in lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional energy sources like coal and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
“Global demand for rubber gloves has been steadily increasing as industrial operators and consumers are paying more attention to personal hygiene in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The roll-out of vaccination programmes across developed and emerging economies has also heightened the use of latex gloves by healthcare professionals, which further drives demand for our products. On this note, we will forge ahead with our plans to expand production to meet the strong demand for latex gloves in domestic and overseas markets,” says Jarinya Jirojkul, CEO of Sri Trang Gloves.
“We are also making headway with our efforts to increase production capacities, with construction and installation of machinery now taking place for a fourth facility to be commissioned in the last quarter of 2021,” Jirojkul added.
As at 12.59pm, shares in Sri Trang Gloves are trading flat at $1.50.
Photo: Sri Trang Gloves
