Where are the XS gloves?
Over the past few months, the supply of disposable gloves has gradually been increasing and the dire shortages we saw at the beginning of the pandemic are pretty much over. Prices are gradually declining to pre-pandemic levels, although there is still a fair share of ground to cover. However, you may or may not have heard that XS gloves are hard to find right now. Or you're a buyer of gloves and your vendor is unable to fulfill your XS needs at this time.
The COVID-19 pandemic took everyone by surprise, including the manufacturers of disposable gloves. The demand for disposable gloves was already on the rise prior to the pandemic, one of the reasons being the development of healthcare infrastructure globally. Of course, the pandemic thrust demand to incredible heights and manufacturers were simply not prepared for the surge in demand. Reports show that the global market for disposable gloves is expected to grow at an impressive CAGR of 10% in the years to come. Not to mention, countries that export the largest volumes of disposable gloves - notably Malaysia, China, and Vietnam - all enforced health & safety restrictions on manufacturers that hampered output. Raw material shortages and other reasons contributed to the chaos that consumed the disposable gloves market, though this is a topic for another time and we will soon publish an article to address it. Back to the XS shortage...
When demand outstrips supply, manufacturers start optimizing production to serve the most desperate demand spots that will provide the highest return on capital. In the US, demand is largest for sizes M-XL, so manufacturers focused available capacity toward supply gloves in those sizes. Until now, many manufacturers have kept XS production lines limited or closed.
We Interviewed One of the World's Leading Glove Manufacturers to Find Out More About the XS Shortage
While the supply of gloves in size XS will continue to be limited this summer, manufacturers are opening up XS production lines again. Supply of XS is expected to begin picking up toward the end of the summer. Despite the limited supply, Mersi Distribution's robust supply chain puts us one step ahead of competitors when it comes to our ability to fulfill needs during a time of need. So long as your XS needs do not need to fulfilled from a very specific brand/SKU/color, we can guarantee you supply from a selection of reputable brands. We're stopgap specialists and we'll make sure you're taken care of so that you don't need to walk away this summer from nitrile and other premium materials you're used to.