1 Introduction

Ansell Lanka (Pvt) Ltd is owned by Ansell health care Limited in Redbank, America. In the
protection barrier solution industry, Ansell plays a major role by producing surgical gloves,
industrial gloves and condoms. Here in Sri Lanka, Ansell produces only surgical and
industrial gloves which are marketed by Ansell International.

1.1 Vision
We will be the most preferred manufacturer of medical and Industrial gloves, realized
through a team of committed employees, for the professional & occupational healthcare
markets for customer delight.

1.2 Mission
Ansell behave on the own mission to be the most preferred manufacturer of medical and
industrial gloves by implementing world class manufacturing practices to provide the safest
working environment with consistently deliver customer value elements.

1.3 History

In 1905, Sir.Eric Ansell started a balloon and condom manufacturing station in Melbourne,
Australia. With time his two sons were engaged in his business. In 1925 they started a glove
making factory in Richmond. They tried to produce their products by natural latex by
developing various methods. However Ansell brothers had able to develop their products to a
large scale and since 1960s, they were able to acquire new factories in Australia but in 1969
their factory was acquired by Dunlop Australia. Since then it has been successfully serving to
the world by producing world class surgical and industrial gloves and condoms.

Ansell Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd was established in export processing zone Biyagama in 1989, under
the open economical policy of the Sri Lankan Government. Ansell Lanka covers an area of
25 acres and is the largest among the BOI factories. Total investment has reached to 800
billion US dollars and it is one of the strategically important plants of the Ansell
International. Using experience and educated work force of 2500 employees with 12 dipping
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machines in 25000 working area, it produces surgical and industrial gloves for the world
market. It owns an irradiation plant and a latex centrifuging plant in Paiyagala. Plant runs 24
hours around the clock in three shifts.

1.4 Functions
Ansell Lanka produces surgical, examination and industrial gloves by Professional Health
Care and Occupational Health Care departments.

1.4.1 PHC
In this department, two types of gloves, examination gloves and surgical gloves are produced.
It consists of 8 dipping machines and 3 after processing areas.

1.4.2 OHC
Here, various types of industrial gloves are dipped using 4 dipping machines and it is the
most profit making department.

1.5 Present performance

Currently there are about 2500 employees working toward the establishment goals. Since the
plant is at its younger stage, now it is undergoing reforming its employees by recruiting new
employees and expanding the factory capacity to meet new customer demands. It has been
established new science and technology centers in both PHC AND OHC departments to
innovate new gloves and new techniques. As a solution to the present energy crisis, Ansell
has been able to establish a biomass boiler which is an example for other industries too.

1.6 Usefulness to Sri Lanka

Ansell serves Sri Lankans in many ways. By providing employment opportunities which pay
high salary, provide safe working environment and excellent welfare schemes, Ansell has
able to build up an excellent reputation in the Sri Lankan society.

In the welfare scheme, Ansell provides two full uniforms to every employee, claim medical
bills up to Rs. 2000 per year, free transport services for every employee, quality meal at Rs.5,
insurance for all the employee of the company, free medical service at zone medical centre by
the company, death donations and free medical checkups from a reputed hospital in
Colombo.

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1.7 Structure
Management responsibilities of Ansell Lanka consist of three separate divisions.

1.7.1 Management Team

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1.7.2 Manufacturing Team

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1.8 Quality Assurance Division
Ansell Lanka has a well established, documented, implemented and maintaining quality
management system to ensure, continues improvement and to meet the company Quality
Policy Statement.

The company has adopted BS EN ISO 9001 of 2000, ISO 13485 of 2003, Medical device
directive 93/ 42/ EEC and QSR part 820 of 1997/1998, Japan Pharmaceutical affairs law
(specific to medical devices) as the basic for this quality management system.

The quality documentation consists of four levels.

 The Company Quality Policy – “Comply with stated Product Quality Specifications,
Comply with relevant regulatory requirements and Service the customer’s
requirements whilst maintaining a cost effective manufacturing operation.”
 The Company Quality Manual – describes the design and manufacture of sterile
surgeons’ latex gloves, the design and manufacture of sterile and non-sterile latex
examination gloves, the design and manufacture of industrial gloves
 The documented procedures – there are Standard Operating Procedures,
encompassing drawings, electronic data information, specifications and work
instructions which describe the documentation procedures.
 The records – store in a record office.

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 Record
office clerk

Quality assurance Data entry

analysis operator

QA auditors

QA Auditor
FRC-PHC

Quality FRC
assurance and Leaders
regulatory
affairs manager Senior QA
FRC leaders
auditor

QA chemist
Secretary

QA supervisor

Laboratory
Lab
manager
technicians
Senior lab
technicians

Figure 1: Company flow chat

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1.9 Science and Technology Division – PHC

Quality control Senior lab

chemist technicians
Lab
Module director technicians
S&T lanka &
project liaison Senior lab
S&T senior technicians
director personal &
chemist
professional
product
technologies S&T

S&T chemists Senior lab

technicians
Secretary

Figure 2: Science and Technology Division

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2 Production processes
Production processes are carried out in two main departments.

2.1 Professional health care department

Consist of eight dipping machines in three divisions, beaded surgical, beaded synthetic and
DSG.

2.2 Beaded surgical division

Beaded surgical division produces style 42, style 87, style 88 and under glove using two
dipping machines. Most of projects were related to the style 87 process and most of studies
were carried out on this department. Dipping times and temperatures, former temperatures,
drying time and temperatures and cure oven air circulation systems were monitored with
regard to the projects. Hot water distribution and circulation system, pneumatic system and
PID controllers are some of the features encountered with these machines. Two dipping
machines are run on a track which formers are mounted on a chain.

2.3 DSG division

In this division three main products are manufactured, Sensi touch, Medi grip and Gammex
in two machines. Machine 3A and 3B produces Sensi touch and Medi grip while machine 2
produces Gammex. These two machines and process steps are different from other machines.
MC 3 uses former racks which hang on a belt of alternatively moving up and down by
changing the running track orientation. In the MC 2, track moves in an ellipse and movement
of dipping tanks in up and down by hydraulic jacks which do the dipping.

After process at the DSG is also unique when comparing with other after processes.
Gammex gloves are washed in two cycles which uses reclaimed water for the first wash and
second wash by new hot water at 90C. After the first wash, waste water send through a HE
to pre heat new raw water to about 60C.

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 1

2
3

4
5 6
7

9 10

Figure 4 plant layout

Table 1: list of contain in the figure 5

1 Exhaust 6 Filter box

2 Shutter 7 New air inlet
3 Screen 8 Screen

4 Shutter 9 Radiator
5 Shutter 10 Blower

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All Gammex gloves are then dried using a fluidized bed and then send to the chalker for re
powdering. Chalker uses magnesium carbonate powder and at the end of the cycle excess
powder which recycled again to powdering process is blow through a bed of filter clothes.

In anti microbial glove trail, PI gloves were washed using DI water in these washers. DI
water unit is consisting of sand filter bed, activated carbon bed, two anion beds and two
cation beds. It has been design to reduce conductivity of raw water lower than 10 ms. It is
design to run using gravity or using motor pumps. Since the temperature of these washing
cycles is different, PLC settings of the washer had to be changed. It was done by changing
the ladder diagram by the. Also the level sensor of the side reserve of the DI water storage
was not worked due to low conductivity of the water. Hence a floating slip was used to
overcome this problem.

2.4 Beaded synthetic division

In this section three dipping machines are in use. MC 1 produces TNT gloves which are
produced using synthetic latex and stripped using a auto stripper. It uses chlorinated post
leach tanks and it was monitored that those post leach tanks were leaking and in the annual
shutdown they were coated with fiber. Whole machine run using a cyclodrive gear system

Other two machines, MC 6 and MC 7 produce style 85, BDU, PI and PI micro gloves. PI and
BDU gloves are synthetic gloves which are compounded in a different method. For PI glove
production extreme care should be maintained.

After process area of this section consist of chlorine washers and dryers. From this section
chlorine fumes and powder dust are released. Hence they should be properly treated before
releasing to the environment. Chlorine fumes are treated using a scrubber which uses sodium
hydroxide with packing.

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 4

6 3
1
2

Figure 5: Air cooling tower

Table 2: Contain in the Figure

1 Chlorine mixed air inlet 4 NaOH storage tank

2 Scrubbing chamber 5 Circulating motor
3 Cleaned air outlet 6 NaOH flow through the packings

Calcium carbonate powder is filtered using a filter unit with 68 filters. Dusty air is sucks from
a blower near the filter unit where the cleaned air passes through the filters by removing dust
in to the collection tanks. An air jet is alternatively eject into the filters in opposite direction
so that the dust on the filters are removed.

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 2

6 6 6

Figure 6: Air cooling tower

Table 4 : list of contain in figure 6

No Item Item
1 Air jet nozzles 5 Dusty air inlet
2 Air storage 6 Dust collectors
3 Cleaned air outlet 7
4 Filters 8

1 3
4 4 4
5

Figure 7: air blower in the boiler

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