Achieving a Marvellous growth in gloves making

One cannot but wonder at how marvelous the beginning and the growth of Marvel Gloves has been.
An ITJ Exclusive report.
Marvel Gloves; the name fits well like a glove for a company, which has grown by leaps and bounds in a matter of 34 years! It all began with seamless knitted gloves in 1980, when Marvel Gloves Industries´ Managing Partner, Farooq Abdullah, showed his iron fist (read, determination) inside his soft-spoken, glove-like personality by entering a field that invited only mockery from his industry friends. ´Gloves? Why don´t you think of some other good products´ — were the only comments that poured in.

But Abdullah stood his grounds. He has no regrets now: Showa of Japan, Rubberex of Malaysia, Hex Armor of USA and niroflex of Germany have made a beeline to make Marvel Gloves their authorised distributor in India. Because, Marvel Gloves demonstrated that it can sell gloves marvelously in an emerging market like India.

Abdullah also did not foresee that his company would be a marvel in industrial scene, and the name strangely had sprung up from a different source. ´I have always enjoyed reading a comic in which Captain Marvel is the hero. He has always fascinated me, and the name struck appropriate when I launched this gloves venture´, he said.

Marvel-niroflex 4-year old ties
Jorg Andoleit, Key Account Manager of the Germany-based niroflex, was in Mumbai recently to attend the OSH exhibition. Speaking in an informal, exclusive chat with the Editor of The Indian Textile Journal, he said that ´niroflex started operation sometime in 1920, nearly a century old company. In 1968, we created the world´s first welded mesh gloves. With Marvel we have a 4-year old relationship in selling latest gloves for the Indian industry. But in the last one year, we have increased our partnership and are working deeply to penetrate the Indian market.´

All the niroflex´s products are made in Germany. ´We have the complete range of industrial gloves û half arms and full arms. We also make aprons. These are made in chainmail construction. We use German inputs in the unwelded chainmail and scale mesh and it is the constant attention to quality that makes our products internationally famous. These are all worn for safety and protection and hence there is no compromise on German quality. We have a quality management which is unique worldwide. Our gloves may be expensive, but the quality is unbeatable,´ Andoleit told the Editor.

niroflex calls its broad range of gloves as intelligent system, which increases safety and efficiency. Said Andoleit: ´In India we are looking at the cutting rooms in the textile industry, where safety is of utmost importance. Working with sharp blades in textile industry, workers can lose their fingers if safety is not adhered to. Our gloves ensure 100 per cent safety. This will be very helpful when you cut several layers of coated fabrics, etc, and the work is made easy and also safe.´

The gloves are also of great use for the food industry, especially during meat-packing and cutting activities in the industry. ´We have four major models but the range is wide. It all depends on the cuff. We have cuffs of 50 cm, 90 cm, or 22 cm and also full length cuff. Besides, we have tunics and aprons to provide full protection´, he said.

niroflex is present in about 60 countries. Germany is its main market. ´In the US market, we have a very big share for the gloves. Other markets include Japan, New Zealand, etc. In China, we have a small market because they want cheap products, not expensive ones with high quality,´ Andoleit said. niroflex is also involved in the making of bullet-proof vests for police officers. ´We provide lining of chainmail for such vests. This is a high growth market, particularly relevant for India. We are doi