Canada-based AMD Medicom Inc. (“Medicom”), one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of personal protective equipment (PPE), announced the creation of Manikheir Canada Inc. (“Manikheir Canada”), a new subsidiary that will produce nitrile gloves in London, Ontario. This expansion has been made possible through a partnership with the Ontario government, which has committed to purchasing 500 million locally manufactured nitrile medical examination gloves per year for its healthcare system.
“Today marks the start of an important new chapter in Medicom’s history. After opening a surgical mask and N95 respirator plant and announcing a new facility to produce the raw materials needed to make them in Quebec, we are very proud to hit another milestone—this time for nitrile gloves—by expanding our Canadian production to the industrial centre of the country, Ontario. This move will help secure the supply of this critical medical resource for hospitals in Ontario and the rest of Canada. This is possible thanks to the vision and leadership of Premier Doug Ford,” commented Ronald Reuben, Founder and CEO of Medicom.
“It’s projects like this one that show that our government is committed to making sure Ontario remains one of the best places in North America to do business. When built, this nitrile glove factory will be the first of its kind in Canada, ensuring hundreds of direct and indirect jobs across Ontario and protecting Canada’s domestic PPE supply,” shared Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario.
One billion nitrile gloves produced annually in Ontario for Canada
Once fully operational, Manikheir Canada is expected to create 145 direct jobs and several hundred indirect jobs in the London area. It will also help create or maintain over 1,000 construction-related jobs during the facility set-up phase. The new plant represents an initial investment of over $120 million and will ultimately produce more than one billion nitrile gloves each year.
“Along with masks and N95s, gloves were one of the most difficult products to find when the pandemic broke out more than two years ago. With this announcement, we are further securing the supply of healthcare systems in Ontario and the rest of Canada with a product that is manufactured entirely locally and in compliance with the highest labour and environmental standards,” concluded John Tourlas, President, North America, of Medicom.
