Hartalega aims to sell 16 billion gloves

Kuan-Kam-Hon

Hartalega Holdings Bhd is aiming to sell 16 billion gloves this year.

They sold 12 billion gloves last year.

Group executive chairman Kuan Kam Hon said on Tuesday the higher sales would be underpinned by the commissioning of its two plants in its next generation integrated glove manufacturing complex (NGC).

“Fourteen new lines are up and running in the NGC with a production line speed of 45,000 pieces of glove per hour,” he told reporters after the AGM and EGM.

“We are targeting to have a total installed capacity of 20 billion pieces of glove per annum by end of this year,” he added.

Kuan said the company planned to open another two plants in the NGC by mid-2016.

“One plant in NGC would have a total of 24 lines, of which would start gradually,” he explained.

Kuan noted that the NGC would have a total installed capacity of 42 billion pieces of glove by 2021.

The NGC project in Sepang, which began in late-2013, would take eight years to complete at a cost of about RM2bil.

Hartalega, the country’s biggest glove maker in terms of market value, reported a 9.8% increase in net profit to RM62.7mil in the first quarter ended June 30.

Sales volume for the quarter jumped 15.4% despite slower demand from China, a key export market. Revenue rose 14.8% to RM320.51mil from RM279.19mil.