Sajtóinformációk

The Mercator Medical Group starts production at its third factory in Thailand

The Mercator Medical Group, a manufacturer of disposable gloves and distributor of medical disposables, has commissione…

The Mercator Medical Group, a manufacturer of disposable gloves and distributor of medical disposables, has commissioned the first production line at a new plant located in the Thai production centre of the Group. Further lines will be commissioned this year, increasing the production capacity of the Group to more than 4 billion gloves per year. The new facility is one of the most advanced plants in the world, and the associated projects (solar farm, industrial water recirculation system) are important both from the economic and environmental perspective. The total value of the project can be estimated as approximately PLN 200 million.

We have just commissioned the first production line, with a nominal capacity of 16 thousand gloves per hour. The most important thing, however, is that we have reaffirmed our position as one of the most technologically advanced manufacturers, capable of achieving the highest quality and performance. The new production line is most likely the first such line in the world in our industry that enables automatic monitoring and control of production to such a large extent says Dariusz Krezymon, President of the Management Board of Mercator Medical (Thailand) Ltd. and Member of the Management Board of Mercator Medical S.A. 

Further production lines at the new plant will be commissioned successively in the following months. Their total target capacity is approx. 1 billion gloves per hour, thanks to which the estimated production capacities of three plants of the Mercator Medical Group will reach 4.2 billion pieces per year.

The third production plant has been designed to enable high-efficiency production of professional gloves, which generally offer higher margins on the market and with which we have plenty of production and sales experience. Also, along with the fading of the pandemic, we intend to successively resume the production of such gloves at the remaining factories. At the same time, such a modern production plant will be a calling card of the Mercator Medical Group, reaffirming our reputation as a manufacturer of products of the highest quality, which also offers added value for our Mercator umbrella brand, whose distribution on the international market we are currently developingindicates Monika Żyznowska, CEO Mercator Distribution (Business Unit) and Vice-President of the Management Board of Mercator Medical S.A.

The Mercator Medical Group places great emphasis on ESG aspects, particularly on optimal labour conditions and environmental efforts. The new factory will be provided with a solar farm, which may be commissioned already in the first quarter of the current year. It will have a capacity of 4.7 MW, which – in combination with the photovoltaic panels on the roof of factory No. 2 (capacity of 1.4 MW) – will mean that a significant portion of the electricity used by all factories of the Group during the day will be provided by the sun. According to available information, the Mercator Medical Group is the only glove manufacturer in the world using renewable energy to such an extent.

The company is also increasing its investments in the reuse of water in industrial processes. The existing wastewater recycling plant, which uses technologies such as ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, among others, has an operating capacity of 3 thousand m3 per day. The ongoing expansion is planned to increase the operating capacity to 6.5 thousand m3 per day in the third quarter, which, with an efficiency of 55%–60%, will be equivalent to the recovery of up to 3.9 thousand m3 of water per year. The wastewater leaving the process passes through different biological treatment ponds and mechanical separation systems. The parameters of the discharged water are continuously monitored by an automatic online system of the Ministry of Industry of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Also, 100% of thermal energy used in the production processes at plants of the Mercator Medical Group is obtained from biomass. This fuel is promoted as a carbon-neutral source because the emissions from wood combustion may be compensated for by the carbon dioxide absorbed by the trees grown to replace the ones that are burned. Most of the biomass used at the Mercator Medical Group is obtained from controlled plantations of rubber trees, which renew their trees every 15–17 years and get rid of old plants. They are the source of the wood chips processed into fuel. At the same time, the exhaust gas is treated, and ash is collected by professional companies and used, for instance, in cement mixtures or fertilisers. A certified external company regularly tests the exhaust gas at half-year intervals with respect to many different parameters – particulate fraction, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide or carbon monoxide. External companies also collect latex sludge, which is also a part of the production waste stream. The sludge is used to make bricks. The production plants of the Mercator Medical Group are currently in the process of obtaining voluntary certification according to ISO 14001:2015. This is an international standard concerning the Environmental Management System that guarantees to all customers that the Group pays great attention to environmental matters.

 

 

***

Mercator Medical S.A., based in Kraków, is a manufacturer of disposable gloves and distributor of single-use medical materials. On these markets, it is one of the most important players in Poland and a significant entity on the international scene. The company’s history dates back to 1989.

Thanks to the construction of the second gloves factory in Thailand (the last production line commissioned in September 2018), the company’s production capacity increased by 150% – to over 3 billion gloves annually. The first quarter of 2021 saw the commencement of the construction of a third disposable glove factory with a planned production capacity of more than 0.8 billion pieces per year (the first production line was commissioned in February 2022). With the distribution of gloves purchased from external suppliers, the Mercator Medical Group’s total sales potential can be estimated at over 6 billion gloves per year. The company conducts direct distribution in Poland, Russia, Romania, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia, as well as in Germany and Italy. Mercator Medical operations have a global reach – local distributors sell its products in over 70 countries on five continents, and the company focuses on the ongoing geographical expansion.

Since November 2013, Mercator Medical S.A. shares are listed on the regulated market at the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In March 2021, they were included in the main stock index – WIG20. More information: www.mercatormedical.eu

To jest wyrób medyczny. Używaj go zgodnie z instrukcją używania lub etykietą.