Supermax Corporation Berhad () started as a trader and exporter of

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...

gloves in 1987 before venturing into manufacturing in 1989. It is

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

's largest Own Brand Manufacturer and the world's second largest producer of rubber gloves. The Supermax Group was founded by Dato' Seri Stanley Thai and his wife Datin Seri Cheryl Tan in 1987 as a trading business distributing latex gloves. Supermax has succeeded in establishing its own brands with a strong presence in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Almost 100% of its production is exported to medical and dental buyers. Its main competitors are

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

Ansell Ansell is an Australian company which manufactures protective industrial and medical gloves. It was previously well known as a condom manufacturer but sold that division in 2017. History Early years Ansell was formed as Dunlop Pneumatic Ty ...

, Allegiance and Microflex. In 2020 during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, strong demand for rubber gloves sent Supermax's share prices on a five-fold jump. Founder Thai Kim Sim recorded an estimated net worth of $1 billion at the stock high in early June 2020. In November 2020, the company donated a total of RM75 million to the Government’s COVID-19 fund set up to battle the pandemic. In October 2021, United States banned imports from Supermax citing

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

. A month after, Canada terminated its contracts. On 15 June 2022, the Government Pension Fund of Norway placed Supermax under observation due to "unacceptable risk that the company contributes to serious violations of human rights".

Controversies

In November 2021, Canada ends contract with Malaysia's Supermax over labor allegations. Based on the seriousness of the allegations and expected timelines for the final audit results, the government of Canada has decided, and Supermax Healthcare Canada has agreed, to terminate by mutual consent the two existing contracts for the supply of nitrile gloves. In June 2022, Norway's sovereign wealth fund,

Norges Bank Investment Management Norges Bank / Noregs Bank is the central bank of Norway. The bank shall promote economic stability in Norway. Norges Bank also manages the Government Pension Fund of Norway and the bank’s own foreign exchange reserves. History The history of ...

, put Supermax under observation for two years, citing allegations of unacceptable risk that the company contributes to serious violations of human rights.

Subsidiaries

*Supermax Glove Manufacturing Sdn Bhd *Maxter Glove Manufacturing Sdn Bhd *Maxwell Glove Manufacturing Bhd *Supermax Latex Products Sdn Bhd *Supermax International Sdn Bhd *Supermax Energy Sdn Bhd *Supermax Healthcare Canada *Supermax Global Ltd (Bermuda) *White Oak Global Property Ltd (USA)

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control 1987 establishments in Malaysia Companies listed on Bursa Malaysia