SW®, the leader in single-use glove manufacturing, R&D, and hand health technologies, announces the introduction of the new Bantam™ brand of Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) gloves. The Bantam brand was developed to provide a quality single-use hand protection option in order to reserve nitrile and latex gloves, that are in short supply, for frontline mission-critical workers.

The new Bantam gloves are the best alternative to nitrile and latex gloves at an economical price, making them ideal for everyday use in low risk industries such as foodservice, hospitality, retail, and sanitation. Manufacturing TPE gloves is efficient to help fill the demand, and the process is clean – addressing SW environmental and hand health concerns. Bantam gloves are also recyclable which makes them the perfect fit during this time of increased demand for personal protection.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the global PPE market. At a time of extremely high demand, single-use glove manufacturers have had to overcome government-mandated employee COVID-19 related work restrictions that reduced production as well as the inherent high capital costs and long lead times to increase capacity. This has resulted in a shortage of single-use gloves that industry experts are predicting could last through 2021.

SW has been a leader in addressing the COVID-19 supply/demand issue by raising awareness about the shortage and keeping customers informed about the global supply chain situation. SW has also worked to optimize manufacturing lines to increase production capacity for core products. And, to better address the shortage, SW began actively looking for quality alternatives for personal hand protection. The team identified TPE gloves as a viable option as they are proven to be ideal for a wide variety of general applications and industries.

“It is our responsibility, as a global hand protection leader, to proactively support our customers and end users who rely on our products. This involves keeping them informed about the shortages as well as looking for new solutions that provide quality alternatives during this time.”  stated Belle Chou, SW Chief Executive Officer.

“TPE is the ultimate, economical substitute. Combining ease-of-use, general chemical resistance, and clean manufacturing, these gloves hit above their weight and will fill the much-needed demand in the single-use glove market,” added Bob Gaither, SW Chief Commercial Officer.