UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2018/2019
June 2019 TRIMESTER
UDPL2363 Material Planning and Inventory Management

GROUP ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Course details

Course : UDPL 2363 MATERIAL PLANNING AND

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Year and Trimester of study : 2019/02

Tutorial Group : T1&2

Lecturer’s Name : MR. KHAIRUL RIDZUAN

Tutor’s Name : MR. KHAIRUL RIDZUAN

Assignment Details

Title : Top Glove Manufacturing Process

Students’ Detail

No. Name Student ID No.

1. HARIHARANRAJA A/L K.R. 17ADB04353
NAGALINGAM
2. LIAU PEI YONG 14 ADB 04855
3. PONG YONG SHENG 16 ADB 06250
4. PUNG WEI ZHOU 13 ADB 03837
5. WEE ZHANG ZHE 16 ADB 05490

Assignment overall marks:

Contents
Background and History ......................................................................................................................... 2
Flow chart ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Manufacturing process ............................................................................................................................ 4
Recommendation .................................................................................................................................. 11
References ............................................................................................................................................. 12

1
Background and History

Top Glove Corporation Berhad is a rubber glove manufacturer. In 1991, the company
was established by Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai in Malaysia. At the time, the company was just
owns a factory with only one glove production line and has 100 employees.

Today, Top Glove becomes the world’s largest manufacturer of gloves. Currently, the
company has 41 factories with 670 production lines and over 18000 workers to manufacture
rubber gloves across Malaysia, Thailand and China. Besides that, the company operates the
marketing offices in across Malaysia, Thailand, China, USA, Germany and Brazil. Moreover,
the company exports their products to more than 195 countries currently and serves over
2000 customers. The production capacity of Top Glove can reach 62.7 billion per year. As at
1 July 2019, Top Glove’s market capitalisation was RM12.7 billion. Furthermore, Top Glove
had a shareholder fund of RM2.5 billion and revenue of about RM3.6 billion in 31 May 2019.

Lastly, Top Glove acquired Aspion Sdn Bhd in April 2018 which is a leading surgical
manufacturer that has so far been the largest acquisition and will make Top Glove to be the
world's largest manufacturer of surgical gloves. So far, the company produces various types
of gloves, sexual wellness product, exercise band and dental dam. Top Glove has collaborates
closely with Government agencies and Ministries to keep up the latest developments in
rubber research technology for enhancing efficiency and quality.

2
Flow chart

Former cleaning Former Cleaning

Latex Dipping Coagulant Dipping

Stripping Powder-Free Gloves

Packing Quality Control

3
Manufacturing process

Formal Cleaning

Before the latex can be procedure to the coagulant dunking process into hand-
moulded, the glove formers should be cleaned before it very well may be utilized to frame
hand-shaped latex gloves. A quality generation of test gloves incorporates nature of latex
glove production line is perfect. This likewise implies glove formers must be cleaned to
guarantee there is no earth or trash anyplace on the grounds that it will influence the last item
to potentially have imperfections like gaps. Right off the bat, glove previous must dunk into a
corrosive shower and after that wash with clean water. Besides, a basic shower is utilized by
dunking the glove formers in them to kill the corrosive and again washed in clean water.
Finally, a significant advance that is the glove formers are brushed to guarantee the outside of
the glove formers is reliable and dispose of pinholes on the latex gloves after it structure.

TG manufacturing plant have various generation lines that produce clumps of

expendable gloves. On the off chance that there is any soil or garbage on the glove previous,
it can bring about the maker being compelled to waste the whole group of latex gloves. This
reason demonstrates the significance of glove formers that must be consistently assessed and
cleaned before the moulds are dunked into coagulant tanks (Production Processes Of Top
Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

Coagulant Dipping

Coagulant dipping is basically divided into 2 process which are Anode and Teague
process. The anode procedure involves plunging the glove former in the coagulant solution
for store coagulant on the glove former surface and after that dunking in compound latex.
After the glove former is cleaned, it will be covered with coagulant which is a calcium salt
like calcium nitrate or calcium chloride and be dunked into the coagulant shower to help
the latex blend hold fast to the formers and to help guarantee the latex is appropriated
equitably. Teague is a process where the glove formers are plunged into the coagulant tank
under TG laborers' control to separate the protein from the past glove plunging and this
plunging is done once for each generation cycle (Akabane, 2016).

4
Drying

Drying is one of the stations underway procedure of latex gloves fabricating whereby
the coagulant changes over the fluid latex film into a wet-gel on the glove formers and will in
the end travel through a progression of stoves to dry the gloves and end the coagulation
procedure. In short, it is a procedure of drying the gloves from wet to readymade gloves
(Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

Latex Dipping

Latex plunging is one of the stations in the creation procedure of latex gloves
producing and the tank is loaded up with exacerbated latex. A latex layer will be shaped on
the glove previous after it experiences this tank. The thickness of the latex glove is resolved
at the coagulating and plunging stage. The more extended the time the glove previous goes in
the coagulant tank, the thicker the latex gloves will be shaped. TG Company will guarantee
that the latex gloves that produce is high standard and safe to be use (Production Processes
Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

Leaching

This filtering stage can be called as the pre-vulcanization draining. It otherwise called
"wet gel filtering". Lingering synthetic substances and proteins on the outside of the gloves
are put into the draining procedure to be expelled after the drying of latex blend. A more
drawn out draining line can wash out latex proteins all the more adequately. Other than that,
the water must be hot and new enough to make the proteins break up better. This progression
is a basic advance to limit the event of latex affectability. The water temperature, process
span, and water conversion scale will influence the adequacy of the procedure. Great draining
line can bring about a decent and quality latex glove (Production Processes Of Top Glove
Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

5
Beading

Beading is a procedure whereby up to twelve synthetic concoctions are added to help

in next assembling procedure of latex gloves. The synthetic substances included are cell
reinforcement that averts decay of the elastic particles in the last item by warmth, dampness,
and ozone. Compound quickening agents are additionally added to help control the following
vulcanization process (Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay,
2016).

Vulcanization

One of the discovery keys in assembling elastic is the vulcanization procedure. It is a

restoring procedure in the generation procedure of latex gloves whereby the latex particles
are adjusted by including quickening agent synthetics to it. At the point when every one of
the materials are warmed, sulphur iotas are affixed with the elastic particles to shape a cross-
interface that gives qualities and versatility to the physical properties of the elastic. This
procedure guarantees the elastic won't be torn and dissolve effectively. The minimum
temperature for vulcanisation varies with the compounded latex. It is normally 90-100°C for
NR and IR, 120-140°C for NBR, and 120-130°C for CR (Akabane, 2016).

Post Leaching

This procedure is like the wet-film draining already, however it is somewhat unique
whereby it is done on the dry/vulcanized latex film. In this way, it is otherwise called "dry-
film" draining. Time and temperature are the most significant component to guarantee
viability during the time spent water extractives decrease. Latex gloves might be drained as
long as 24 hours to guarantee its viability (Production Processes Of Top Glove Company
Commerce Essay, 2016).

6
Slurry Dipping

This stage is otherwise called "wet notwithstanding powdering". The slurry tank
containing the corn-starch arrangement can keep latex gloves from staying in the tank. The
slurry is likewise alluded to as wet powder. The advantage of this powder is going about as
protection of the latex gloves and to aid the latex gloves wearing procedure. TG Company
has pursued the worldwide strategy in the particular stage whereby the latex gloves will
experience more stoves for further drying and extra flushing cycles where the powder will be
expelled. The way toward evacuating the powder is to stay away from latex hypersensitive
response (Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

Stripping

At this stage, the latex gloves are taking from the glove formers. There are two kinds
of strategies, which are physically or consequently taking the latex gloves from the glove
formers. TG's latex examination gloves are stripped by completely computerized stripping
machine. By utilizing this completely computerized stripping machine, TG can build the
quality and wellbeing of the latex gloves they created. The latex gloves will be sent to the
following period of the latex glove assembling process for last drying (Production Processes
Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

Tumbling

The tumbling procedure at latex gloves assembling procedure is to evacuate over the
top powder on the gloves. The latex gloves are putting into the business dryers to guarantee
that the powder is all the more equally disseminated and abundance powder can be evacuated
(Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

7
Powder-Free Gloves

Sans powder gloves stage is an innovation to avert stickiness of gloves by keeping

away from powder utilization totally by experiencing chlorination or polymer covering
process. This is one of the significant innovation forms in assembling latex glove these days
on the grounds that a large portion of the glove creators are delivering the latex gloves with
without powder. Top Glove produces latex powder and sans powder gloves. Fundamentally,
the without powder latex gloves are changed from powdered gloves when the powder is
expelled. Before the latex gloves dried, the powder enables the latex gloves to give
consistency just as to keep the latex gloves from trim together. The cheapness on the glove
surface can be evacuated by washing the latex gloves in water. At that point it is set into a
chlorine shower to change the powdered latex gloves to sans powder latex gloves. The glove
is turned back to front and the procedure is rehashed. The without powder gloves are set once
again into the dryers when the washing procedure is finished (Production Processes Of Top
Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

8
Quality Control

TG does its quality control in complete quality administration framework. In all out quality
administration framework, the procedure incorporates ordinary testing of crude materials,
close observing the assembling procedure, persistent enhancement for quality control, keep
up customary quality control, conforming to stringent quality standard, focus for zero
imperfections, great instructional naming, effective work institutionalization, ceaseless
upgrades in pressing and stacking, close checking of generation process, elasticity machine,
imaginative auto-stripping framework, visual pneumatic machine test, water tight test,
physical measurement test, protein test and powder test in their assembling procedure of latex
gloves. The visual pneumatic machine test, watertight test and physical measurement test will
be done in this quality control organize while the other test will be complete during each
assembling procedure of the latex gloves. The pneumatic machine test serves to check for
gaps and visual imperfections in gloves while the watertight test serves to check for pinholes
rate on the latex gloves. Every nation will have their own adequate quality level (AQL) in
enabling the organization to send out item to their nation. For instance, the organizations that
need send out their gloves to United States, a 2.5 AQL in the watertight test or better. The
physical measurement test is utilized to gauge the element of the gloves whether to realize the
estimation meets the review level of 4.0 that set in AQL (Production Processes Of Top
Glove Company Commerce Essay, 2016).

9
Packaging

Packaging is the last stage in the assembling procedure of latex gloves. TG packs their latex
gloves in level and proficient layer-by-layer to facilitate the apportioning of gloves so as to
maintain a strategic distance from latex gloves hard to administer from every glove later. This
kind of pressing technique can reduce waste and makes latex gloves simpler to take out from
the case. For instance, we can administer tissue from a tissue box effectively and the thought
is connected to the latex gloves' case gadgets. This layered procedure is frequently use by all
glove makers.

In conclusion, when all creation procedures are totally conveyed, the latex gloves will be kept
in TG stockroom for marking and after that send to their specific clients. What's more, the
latex gloves are likewise being sent out to different nations. The creation procedures of Top
Glove are rehashed for all the generation lines and to guarantee the latex gloves that are
delivered are in high quality level and safe for use (Production Processes Of Top Glove
Company Commerce Essay, 2016)

10
Recommendation
The weakness of the Top Glove is their manufacturing performance. Since top glove
have a high market demand from European and American country, they need to update their
quality control fulfillment on consistent basis from their customers wants. Variation in a
process or a product is the contrast between the expected and achieved performance, which
nurtures the uncertainty of a system or a process (M. J. Chalupnik, 2013). Therefore,
reducing variation could directly increase the manufacturing performance. Quality
performance could be achieved by reducing variation in two ways.

First way, redesigning the process through a major process change such as implement
the more advance technology like Internet of thing (IoT), cloud computing, big data with
artificial intelligence, data analysis at the edge of networks, mobile, data
communication/network technologies, changes on the level of, among others, HMI and
SCADA, manufacturing execution systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP),
programmable logic controllers (PLC), sensors and actuators, MEMS and transducers and
innovative data exchange models to replace existing machine. But it’s downsize is high
investment are require to implement into the glove manufacturing process.

Second way, use “Theory of Inventive Problem Solving” (TRIZ) to define the
engineering system of the initial problem, and this is followed by function analysis, cause and
effect chain analysis, and Physical contradiction. TRIZ methodology was introduced by
Genrich Altshuller and his team in 1940‘s (T.S. Yeoh, 2009). This is the more cheaper
version compare to first way with few constraints to be taken into account such as the speed
of the production line cannot be altered, dipping process can be altered, power of air blower
cannot be toned down and there is no budget for
sophisticated solutions such as robotic arms.

TRIZ flow of processes is shown in Figure. 1. First,

define the engineering system of the initial problem, and this
is followed by function analysis, cause and effect chain
analysis, and Physical contradiction. Finally, By-Separation
model is applied to derive specific inventive principles and
specific solution(s) (A.A. Guin, 2009).

11
References

A.A. Guin, A.V. Kudryavtsev, V. Yu. Boubentsov and A. Seredinsky,

(2009) Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, First Fruits.

Akabane, T. (2016). Production Method & Market Trend of Rubber Gloves.

International Polymer Science and Technology, 43(5), 45-50.

doi:10.1177/0307174x1604300509

M. J. Chalupnik, D. C. Wynn, and P. J. Clarkson, (2013) "Comparison Of Ilities For

Protection Against Uncertainty In System Design," Journal of Engineering Design,

vol. 24, pp. 814-829,

Production Processes Of Top Glove Company Commerce Essay. (2016, May 12).

Retrieved June 24, 2019, from

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/commerce/production-processes-of-top-glove-
company-commerce-essay.php

Top Glove. (2019). Corporate Profile. Retrieved at: July 15, 2019. From:
https://www.topglove.com/corporate-profile/

T.S. Yeoh, T.J. Yeoh, and C.L. (2009) Song, TRIZ- Systematic Innovation in Manufacturing,

Selangor: Firstfruits.

12