Kimberly-Clark recognized for glove innovation, packaging waste reduction

New gloves give users approximately 33% more storage space and allows them to reduce glove packaging waste by 45%.

By Control Engineering Staff February 3, 2009
Read more about the intersection of automation and packaging

Automation helps packagers: Webcast, research, 3-part article series

Mountain View, CA – Based on its recent analysis of the U.S. protective gloves market, Frost & Sullivan presented Kimberly-Clark Professional with the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation. The award is in recognition of the company’s proactive development of new products developed to meet end-users’ needs and its ability to be a change agent within the protective gloves industry.
To bridge the gap between latex and nitrile (due to rising latex prices), Kimberly-Clark Professional developed its proprietary Sterling Nitrile glove manufacturing technology. This manufacturing innovation allows the company to increase the tensile strength of nitrile, resulting in superior barrier protection and puncture resistance. The technology also reduces glove thickness, which means that less force is required to stretch the material. As a result, these latex-free gloves have the dexterity and sensitivity of natural rubber latex, without the associated latex allergy issues. The technology has also helped extend applications in laboratories, cleanrooms and other critical environments.
The new Kimtech Pure G3 (for Class 10 cleanrooms) and G5 Sterling Nitrile Cleanroom Gloves (for Class 100 cleanrooms) are 3.9 mils thick and 12 inches long from fingertip to beaded cuff. The gloves provide environmental benefits because they are packaged with 50% more gloves per case. This gives users approximately 33% more storage space and allows them to reduce glove packaging waste by 45% .
Kimberly-Clark Professional’s glove innovation also extends to its industrial product line. Its KleenGuard G10 Grey Nitrile Gloves are a prime example. These gloves are a “green” alternative to latex, offering the protection of nitrile with the sensitivity of latex. They are thin, yet strong, with superior strength compared with competitive gloves, due to a proprietary manufacturing process. Because they are so thin and strong, users get 50% more gloves per case, resulting in less packaging waste and added space savings. KleenGuard G10 Grey Nitrile Gloves are designed for tasks requiring maximum dexterity such as small parts handling, electronics and precision assembly, food handling and manufacturing.
For information about these gloves, visit www.kimtech.com.

– Edited by David Greenfield , editorial director

Control Engineering News Desk

Register here