PETALING JAYA: The rubber glove industry expects some 10,000 participants at the 9th International Rubber Glove Conference and Exhibition 2018 (IRGCE 2018) this September.
“This year we have increased the number of exhibition booths showcasing the latest in product development and innovation to 545 booths, compared to 272 in 2016,” said Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma) president Denis Low Jau Foo.
“We anticipate the event will draw over 800 conference participants with over 10,000 trade visitors,” he told reporters at the preview of IRGCE 2018 here today.
The IRGCE 2018 will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from the 4th until 6th September 2018.
Themed, “Transforming Technology, Driving Innovation”, this year's trade conference will highlight new products, technical conference papers on improvements in processing technologies, usage of rubber gloves in medical and non-medical settings, advances in latices and eco-friendly compounding ingredients, updates on regulatory compliance, green technology and waste management.
Also present were Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council’s (MREPC) chief executive officer Low Yoke Kiew, Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) director general Dr Zairossani Mohd Nor, Margma immediate past president Lim Kwee Shyan, Margma vice president Dr S. Supramaniam and other Margma committee members.
In giving a better insight into the business of glove-making, MREPC’s Low highlighted global consumption rate of medical gloves averages at 25 pairs. In China, however, the per capita usage is only four pairs while in India, it is three.
“This compares with the consumption of 75 pairs annually in the US, 50 in Europe and 10 in Malaysia,” she said.
"So, there's room for growth in Malaysia's rubber glove exports, especially from emerging markets. Our marketing teams are working very hard to help raise hygiene awareness in the healthcare sector,” she added.
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