From a Production Foremen with Mysore Rubbers Pvt Ltd (M M Foam) in the early seventies, G Narayana Pillai has gone a long way to become a much-sought-after global Consultant on latex products such as gloves, condoms, balloons and catheters. His long and varied experience with a number of latex foam products manufacturing companies have stood him in good stead to help many companies set up latex manufacturing facilities in India and abroad. Of late, G N Pillai has forayed into cultivation of rubber in Mexico, which is emerging as a new destination for rubber growers and rubber products manufacturers.
In an interview to Rubber Asia, Pillai looks back at his tryst with the latex industry and shares his views on wide-ranging issues relating to latex products manufacturing, opportunities for rubber cultivation in new regions, latex vs nitrile gloves, protein allergy etc. He feels that Indian glove manufacturers need to invest substantially in augmenting production capacity as India doesn’t have the volume, especially in examination gloves, to compete with countries like Malaysia. Excerpts from the interview:
Please explain how you strayed into the latex products manufacturing industry
In 1988, the outbreak of AIDS led to huge demand for medical gloves in the United States. The demand supply gap was so huge that it cost up to $140 for 1,000 gloves. I saw a great business opportunity therein. With the expertise earned while working with a number of latex foam products manufacturing firms such as Mysore Rubbers Pvt Ltd, Ruby-Marrat, Enfield India ancillary unit etc I decided to specialise in glove manufacturing.
Enrolling myself as a Primary Member of Plastics and Rubber Institute, India Chapter, I did a course in Rubber Technology and appeared for the Licentiate (LPRI) examination. In 1988, I joined Polymer Consultancy Services, Chennai, as a Junior Consultant, a position which gave me the opportunity to assist many latex products manufacturing facilities in India and abroad. This period was the start of the examination gloves manufacturing boom due to the AIDS scare.
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Esta historia es de la edición March-April-2017 de Rubber Asia.
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