Malaysian glove-maker delays plant start-up

Kuala Lumpur – Hartalega Holdings Bhd is delaying the planned comissioning of two production facilities in a bid to reduce price-pressure on the market, according to a media report published on the Malaysian glove-maker’s website.

Plants 3 and 4, which were expected to start operation by June at Hartalega’s NGC manufacturing site, will now start production in October and end of next year respectively.

The two plants are part of the RMB2.2 billion (€483 million) Next Generation Integrated Glove Manufacturing Complex (NGC) project in Sepang, Malaysia.

Launched in 2014, the project is intended to boost Hartalega’s glove production capacity from 16 billion pieces a year to 42 billion.

To date, 24 lines have started running since the first commission in early 2015, according to Hartalega’s information.

The Malaysian glove-maker also said that its energy-optimisation scheme and redesigning of production line had led to cost-savings. In addition to that, the company has trimmed 10 percent of its workforce – 600 employees – in order to cut costs.