An entrepreneur from the town is currently shaking up the glove industry: a skin-tight glove with the protective properties of a work glove plus breathability plus high tactile sensitivity – and on top of that, it’s washable and medically approved. This development could change the working world in the truest sense of the word: sustainably.
Klein Heidorn (ds). From Klein Heidorn out into the world usually depart only the German Armed Forces’ transport aircraft from the local air base. But an entrepreneur headquartered in the “cherry village,” as the unofficial nickname of this Wunstorf district goes, is also setting out from here to make international business history. Nino Mai, already well known in the occupational safety industry, has launched a new product these days that is said to be nothing less than a world first: a work glove that could make the gloves typically used for work and leisure obsolete. “Multicare” is the name of the brand family that Mai has newly created for this purpose. The special feature: approval for use in the medical field as well, opening up entirely new areas of application.
The word-and-image trademark has been protected across Europe. Despite striking similarities to the Swiss flag, the brand’s logo has nothing to do with Switzerland – it is intended to evoke a medical cross, which is also underscored by the green tone of the product design. And the medical impression is by no means misleading: this is indeed a genuine Class 1 medical device. Work gloves with medical approval – that is the key idea behind the product. The glove is worn skin-tight, yet does not cause sweaty hands, is suitable for allergy sufferers and food-safe – and is intended to offer the wearer the same level of protection as a conventional protective glove. Work gloves, which are in demand for many tasks in many professions and at home, can now suddenly be worn like a kind of super disposable glove.
Breathable plus high tactile sensitivity?
Wearing it really does feel more like a surgical glove than a normal work glove – but without its drawbacks. The gloves are said to be wearable for an entire work shift without hands becoming damp or the material taking on a pungent smell by the end of the day. We don’t just want to take that on faith, so we ask whether we can try it out, and then we do the test right away – the gloves were provided to us for this purpose:
We are writing this report using a “Multicare Feel” – because the glove comes in two different versions: the Feel version in blue is primarily intended for the medical sector, where delicate work is required – or work “with people.” “Multicare Flex” in gray, on the other hand, is more suitable for industrial applications; the coating on these gloves is slightly more robust.
The stretch fabric enables a breathable glove, and thanks to its sensitivity there is no longer any need to work with exposed fingertips: “In the past, people cut off their fingertips because there was nothing else,” Mai says in conversation with Auepost – now you can even operate a smartphone with it. The glove no longer has to be taken off even for fine work.
The secret behind it: unlike typical glove types, Mai does not rely on water-based manufacturing, because that would not achieve puncture, cut, abrasion, and tear resistance, the entrepreneur says. So no cheap polyester is used; instead, nylon/lycra is used, Mai describes the manufacturing process. When exposed to flying sparks, the fabric therefore does not start burning. At the cuff, two different knitting methods are used for stabilization.
Washable
This also results in another feature: the gloves are washable at 60 to 90 degrees. After washing, they can be used as normal again. The glove is therefore – unlike what one might expect from such a medical device – not a disposable product and can replace disposable gloves in certain areas. It is not suitable for sterile requirements, however. In the test phase, the glove lasted for months for one tester with regular washing. It is said to withstand over 20 wash cycles without damage before signs of wear appear. “That’s actually bad for business,” Mai laughs. Washability is what makes the whole thing really interesting for customers, as the purchase quickly pays for itself. After washing the glove only a few times, it becomes cheaper per use than, for example, the well-known dotted grip gloves. For end consumers, the glove is expected to retail at just under 5 euros.
“Customers sometimes think I’m pulling their leg”
– Nino Mai
Entrepreneur Mai hopes, for example, that in the future it will be standard for visitors in places like nursing homes to be given his gloves to help prevent the spread of pathogens.
Distribution is rolling
With the combination of work glove and medical approval, Mai now aims to penetrate the market on a broad scale. Contracts with wholesalers are currently being concluded; distribution is ramping up. The first corporate customers – logistics providers, retail, gastronomy – are beginning to equip their employees with the new development. His retail partners sometimes think he’s pulling their leg, Mai reports – given the wealth of product features: food-safe, washable, touchscreen-compatible, organic, vegan, suitable for allergy sufferers, no sweating, long durability, and on top of that medical approval. This sometimes leads to disbelieving looks, because classification as a medical device in particular is considered to involve high hurdles. But Mai knows his product, has mastered all the hurdles – and the certificates and labels with which the glove is equipped prove him right.
Thousands for the food banks
Next year, the Multicare gloves are also expected to be available for individual consumers to buy, for example in drugstores, pharmacies, or retail shops. Last Wednesday, however, Mai first provided the food banks (“Tafeln”) in Lower Saxony and Bremen with a major donation of the gloves: over 5,600 pairs of gloves with a value of nearly 25,000 euros were received by Frank Löffler as deputy chairman for the state association. The gloves are distributed to all 104 Tafeln in the region. This makes the Tafel volunteers among the first to use the product and work more sustainably – because not only are work gloves worn when transporting food, the staff distributing food have so far used typical latex or plastic gloves for hygiene reasons – which end up in the trash after a single use. With the Multicare glove, this will no longer be necessary – and at the Tafel, alongside the orange apron, blue and gray are now being worn as well.
Developed in Klein Heidorn
Meanwhile, back in the editorial office, we have taken the gloves off again – and can confirm the promises. Even at the desk, after a short adjustment period, it was no longer noticeable that one was working with protective gloves – and hands really did not start sweating. For “more dangerous texts,” a pair could well be kept in the drawer in the future. Mai personally did the same while long-term testing his own product: “I put it on for phone calls, wear it for three hours – and I didn’t even notice I was wearing it.”
Whether wearing gloves will truly catch on in office environments remains to be seen, but in all other areas Mai wants to get the glove into people’s hands in the truest sense of the word. Up and down the country, people will then be wearing a product from Klein Heidorn.
Note: You can also read this article on the original site at weristwer.com. 👉 To the original article: https://www.auepost.de/politik-wirtschaft/wirtschaft/innovation-fur-arbeitende-haende-wunstorfer-unternehmer-erfindet-den-schutzhandschuh-neu-64449/