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Rayong manufacturing: Celebrating 25 years of excellence in surgical gloves

This year, Cardinal Health celebrates 25 years of surgical glove manufacturing at our facility in Rayong, Thailand. Rayong leadership recently hosted a celebration for its 2,200 facility employees to commemorate this 25-year milestone and thank the team for their unwavering commitment to the Protexis™ brand and surgical glove manufacturing excellence.

“Over the years, the Rayong facility has developed and manufactured more than a dozen new types of gloves, and has a robust product development pipeline ahead,” said Steve Mason, CEO, Cardinal Health’s Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD) segment. “The Rayong team’s innovative, results-driven and safety-first culture continues to make a difference in the lives of customers and patients around the world.”

With over 50 years of surgical glove manufacturing experience, Cardinal Health began manufacturing Protexis™ Surgical Gloves at its Rayong facility in 1999. As a market-leading brand, Protexis™ is known for quality and clinical best practice—providing clinicians around the world with the surgical gloves they trust to protect themselves and their patients. Contributing to its 25 years of manufacturing excellence are Rayong’s sustainability improvements, labor practices, quality standards and strategic investments in capacity growth opportunities.

Sustainability practices and strong labor standards
“The Rayong site continues to be an enabler for our business, delivering product and capacity growth, technology and platform enhancements, and product sustainability,” said Ben Brinker, President of Global Products and Supply Chain, GMPD, Cardinal Health. “Our employees at the site work daily to protect the environment with ethically sourced, premium hand protection through advancement in sustainable manufacturing practices.”

Cardinal Health recognizes that sustainability is an increasingly important factor for customers when choosing a surgical glove provider. Sustainable practices, including waste reduction, cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reducing packaging waste, are critical to Cardinal Health as well. (You can learn more in our latest ESG Report.) Notable sustainable manufacturing metrics for Protexis™ Surgical Gloves include:

From fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2023, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were reduced by 17%¹ per pair of Protexis™ Surgical Gloves manufactured. This was achieved through new technologies that allow increased line speeds from 45 feet per minute (fpm) to 55 fpm, safely yielding greater output.
More than 90% of manufacturing waste from the Rayong facility has been diverted from landfills, between calendar year 2021 to 2023,² through the recycling of plastic, paper, rubber scrap and waste boiler ash. In addition, Protexis™ Surgical Gloves are partially produced with renewable biomass that is later converted into fertilizer.
On average, 99% of Protexis™ Surgical Gloves packaging by weight is recyclable.
Plastic pouches are recyclable only in appropriate recycling facilities.³

The legacy of the Rayong facility, devoted to strong labor standards, has been built through the dedication of our skilled employees. Kitchaon Traiphutthasat, a packaging supervisor who is celebrating 24 years at the Rayong facility, said her co-workers and supervisors have helped her to be successful both at work and home. “I am extremely proud to work for Cardinal Health for the last 24 years and the opportunities it has brought for me to advance my career at the Rayong plant, along with a good quality of life,” says Traiphutthasat.

Since 2009, sustainability and labor practices in Rayong have garnered recognition and awards:

2019-2023: Annual Labor Excellence Award by Thai Government, Labor Protection and welfare department, good labor and union management
2000-2021: Implementation of Energy Conservation in accordance with Energy Conservation Law,Thailand
2020-2023: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) award from the American Chamber of Thailand (AMCHAM)⁴
2020-2021: 3R Award (Reduce Reuse Recycle) a recognition from the Ministry of Industry of Thailand
2020: Green Industry Award level 2, a recognition from the Ministry of Industry of Thailand
2021: Green Industry Award level 3, a recognition from the Ministry of Industry of Thailand

Building a culture of caring for the environment, the community and each other resonates strongly with employees at Rayong, who frequently come together to give back to their community to plant trees, donate to community initiatives, fundraise for school upgrades and donate blood.

A focus on the customer through quality, innovation and capacity investments
In a recent survey conducted by Cardinal Health⁵, 85% of clinicians preferred Protexis™ Surgical Gloves because of product quality. With decades of design, engineering and innovation expertise and a focus on quality, the Rayong team has evolved the product portfolio to meet the needs of clinicians.

Tailored to clinicians, Protexis™ Surgical Gloves combine our proprietary material blend and unique dipping process with an ergonomic hand mold, along with an interlocking, beaded cuff design to help prevent cuff roll-down during procedures. The result is intentional protection that helps support optimal surgical outcomes. A selection of Protexis™ Surgical Gloves are also made with our patented Neu-Thera™ Coating that contains glycerin, gluconolactone and provitamin B5, to promote skin moisturization⁶.

From preparation of the mold, to dipping, curing, drying and finally packaging, the Rayong team monitors more than 2,000 quality-control variables throughout the production process to ensure that each glove meets our strict quality controls and robust testing protocols.

The demand for surgical gloves continues to rise, driven by an increase in surgical procedures and healthcare spending around the world, according to Future Market Insights. The report notes novel surgical procedures and evolving needs of clinicians are contributing to an increase in demand for gloves with enhanced characteristics and features. For decades, the Protexis™ Surgical Gloves portfolio has evolved with intentional innovation to meet the needs of clinicians and investments to boost manufacturing and distribution capacity.

For example, in 2017, Cardinal Health expanded surgical glove manufacturing production and capabilities, resulting in 20% more volume and 35,000 square feet of additional manufacturing space. In addition, Cardinal Health’s GMPD segment has added 1.5 million square feet to its U.S. distribution and regional replenishment center network to bolster capacity. Our continued investment in manufacturing and warehouse capacity helps to ensure customers receive a reliable supply of quality gloves.

Rayong, Thailand manufacturing milestones

1999 – Cardinal Health acquired the Allegiance Corporation

2000 – Established operation of surgical gloves manufacturing in Rayong, Thailand

2017 – Expanded manufacturing footprint to increase production capacity

2019-2023 – Received the Labor Management Outstanding Award by Labor Department of Thailand

2020-2023 – Received Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) award by American Chamber of Thailand (AMCHAM)

2020-2023 – Invested $10M to increase manufacturing capacity by 20%

2024 – Celebrating 25 years of manufacturing excellence

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As we commemorate 25 years of advancement in surgical glove manufacturing, there is deep gratitude and pride for the exceptional teams within the Rayong manufacturing facility. Their commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality products has helped us to grow our business and establish Protexis™ as a market-leading surgical glove brand.

Building upon decades of manufacturing excellence, our journey continues—upholding our legacy to protect what matters most: clinicians and patients.

For more information on Protexis™ surgical gloves, please visit: Surgical Gloves (cardinalhealth.com)

Sources:

¹ Data on file, Cardinal Health, Glove Emissions Intensity Reports FY19-23, updated April 2024
² Data on file, Cardinal Health, Waste Disposal Reports CY21-23, updated April 2024
³ Data on file, Cardinal Health, % Recyclable Packaging Weight Calculation Report, FY22
⁴ AMCHAM awards CSR Recognition to companies that demonstrate an advanced understanding of the linkages between business operations and society and conduct business in a way that creates long-term economic and social value. Its goal is to identify excellence, not just through individual projects or monetary contributions, but through good internal strategy and systems to support CSR and integrate it throughout the company’s business practices. Accessed from: Corporate Social Impact Awards - AMCHAM Thailand (Link: https://www.amchamthailand.com/corporate-social-impact-awards/)
⁵ Data on file, Cardinal Health, FY19-22
⁶ Davis, D., & Brown, E. (2004). The New Era of Skin Care, Staff Safety, 38–44

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Cardinal Health is a distributor of pharmaceuticals and specialty products; a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products; a supplier of home-health and direct-to-patient products and services; an operator of nuclear pharmacies and manufacturing facilities; and a provider of performance and data solutions. Our company’s customer-centric focus drives continuous improvement and leads to innovative solutions that improve people’s lives every day. Subscribe to our News Alerts to get all of our latest news.