Medical product and solutions company Mölnlycke of Sweden, which already has three plants in Malaysia, has opened another surgical glove plant in Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah, with sustainable production as its backbone. With a total investment of EUR50 million (RM233 million), the new facility is a major milestone and part of Mölnlycke’s sustainability roadmap to meet the healthcare manufacturing industry’s increasing demand sustainably, producing surgical gloves.
The new production site, which has a land area of 29,164 sq m and building footprint of 14,620 sq m, is fully equipped with the cutting-edge automated glove production and packaging line. With the addition of the new plant, Mölnlycke says it expects to create some 400 new job opportunities within the state. Mölnlycke will also increase their production capacity substantially to meet future demand on high-quality surgical gloves.
Malaysia is core to Mölnlycke’s surgical gloves business. To date, the company has three other additional factories based in the country, two of which are for the manufacturing of surgical gloves and another for packing. With business in over 100 countries worldwide, Mölnlycke entered the Malaysian market in 1990 and currently employs over 2,500 Malaysians in their network.
The manufacturing plant is constructed in partnership with global sustainability solutions providers, Engie and Veolia Water Technologies.
Veolia will be assisting in improving the plant’s wastewater management, effectively recycling water, and further improving the discharge quality. With Veolia’s digitalised system, water consumption is expected to be reduced to 50%.
Moreover, Engie will be supplying the plant with its energy source by installing solar panels to power the manufacturing production and operations.
In the long run, Mölnlycke says it is turning its commitment to net zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 into reality by running its operations in a less resource intensive way.
JC Guillou, Vice President Global Operations of Mölnlycke Gloves said “We are beyond excited and thrilled about the opening of our new plant here in Kulim, Kedah. This is a significant milestone for Mölnlycke, as it is part of our transformative journey towards becoming a global leader in sustainable healthcare. We have chosen Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah as the new location of our plant, as we believe the state has the right infrastructure, talent, and capabilities to meet the demands of the manufacturing industry. With the addition of this new facility in our pipeline, we are confident that we would be able to capture and capitalise on the industry’s demand, not only in Kedah or Malaysia but in the region in general.”
Malaysia has been actively promoting and implementing sustainable development initiatives aligning with the National Investment Aspirations (NIA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) principles.
In line with this, Mölnlycke through its shared value creation WeCare roadmap, aims to contribute towards Malaysia’s sustainability goals, such as energy usage reduction, wastewater management, economic growth, and innovation in infrastructure. WeCare is Mölnlycke’s sustainability roadmap for the company’s growth, innovation, and productivity drive.
With sustainability being a key aspect of the company’s strategic focus area, Mölnlycke endeavours to build a sustainable healthcare manufacturing ecosystem that would effectively meet the industry’s demand for high-quality surgical gloves, with minimum environmental impact.