It’s been a few years since we’ve been able to visit our overseas manufacturing partners, with pandemic travel restrictions making those trips impossible. But this year, we finally made it back! Our CEO, Steve Ardagh, recently visited long-time partners and new potential suppliers in Malaysia and Thailand. In this blog Steve shares what has changed across glove manufacturing since the early 2000s and why firsthand factory visits remain essential for any company serious about product integrity, safety, and ethical sourcing.
AI-Powered Quality Checks
20 years ago glove manufacturing was very manual. One of the most impressive upgrades I saw in my recent visit was how glove quality is now managed—as gloves come off the former, each glove passes by high-speed cameras and images are analyzed in real time by AI. This allows for continual adapting and improvements in manufacturing to detect even the tiniest imperfection. If a glove doesn’t meet spec, it’s automatically removed. The accuracy is incredible and it’s a huge leap forward for ensuring consistent product quality.
Technology & Innovation
New innovations in technology are making it possible to manufacture ultra-lightweight gloves with the same durability as thicker gloves and experimenting with new interior coatings to make donning easier on wet hands. Packaging is also fully automated, making the whole process cleaner and more consistent in quality and count.
Sustainability In Action
Many factories are investing heavily in sustainability, using biomass fuel, recycling production by-products and turning ash into concrete-like blocks for local parks and play centers. Seeing that commitment in person aligns perfectly with Eagle Protect’s impact reduction.
Safer Gloves Backed By Science, Innovation & Verification
It was also great to connect with new and familiar QA and QC leaders to share how Eagle’s story is evolving. Their bioburden results mirrored the microbial findings from our Delta Zero™ testing. It’s clear that our forward-thinking suppliers see the same future we do: cleaner, safer gloves backed by science, innovation and verification.
What In-Person Factory Visits Mean For You
Being there in person again reminded me why these visits matter—nothing beats firsthand conversations, witnessing operations and continuing to build trust face to face.
Technology is transforming and improving how gloves are made and the best manufacturers are embracing this change. We’ve spent years visiting glove factories and what we’ve seen outside of our trusted partners has often been appalling. This includes conditions that would never meet the standards of the food or medical industries such as unhygienic manufacturing conditions and water supply, empty wash tanks and filthy storage and packaging facilities.
We’ve partnered with our suppliers for many years and trust their integrity, and we also recognize that glove manufacturing is self regulated. That’s why we developed Delta Zero™ (DZ), Eagle’s proprietary, independent glove verification which both confirms the performance and safety we already expect from our gloves. DZ also gives food companies the assurance and documentation they need to demonstrate that Eagle gloves meet the highest standards of protection.
These visits aren’t just about checking boxes, they deepen our partnerships and confirm what’s documented is truly delivered.. As technology progresses and safety expectations rise, we’re committed to making sure Eagle gloves continue to meet the highest standards for our customers and their team who rely on them every day.
By Steve Ardagh
