Badger’s Client Support team was recently approached by a large food storage company in Laverton, Victoria. They had a ‘chronic glove usage’ problem and needed a solution, fast!

They had 400 employees at one of their sites working as pickers, reach truck drivers and forkies in the chilled environments. Some of the tasks these staff complete each day include:

• picking cartons of food or beverage
• packing and wrapping pallets
• operating RF scanners & writing
• driving reach trucks.

The refrigerated warehouse has several different temperature zones, ranging from 3-5°C down to -25°C. To keep things simple, the company had always offered one style of glove – the ‘old faithful’ cotton polka dot glove. A picker in chilled sortation wore one pair, a forkie in the freezer wore 3 pairs!

Their ‘chronic glove usage’ problem

While the ‘old faithful’ cotton gloves were economical to purchase initially, the company was consuming them at an astronomical rate. Employees were using up to three pairs per day, either because their day-to-day jobs were high ‘wear-n-tear’ on the gloves, or because they simply threw them out at the start of each shift because they were ‘cheap’.

Weekly Usage – Old Style Cotton Gloves

300 employees in chiller – 1200 pairs per week

100 employees in freezer – 600 pairs per week

Total: 1800 pairs per week @$0.40 = $720.00

Hard Costs

While the initial purchase of the cotton gloves was insignificant (a mere $0.40/pair), the company’s extremely high weekly usage meant the cost soon accumulated, and the company was spending up to $3,000 on gloves per month.

Soft Costs

On top of the financial cost to the company, the high glove usage led to ‘soft costs’, which were more difficult for the company to identify. These included:

• Untidy corridors and carpark as gloves were left around carelessly, leading to decreased staff morale
• Increased landfill costs as the gloves were disposed of
• Unnecessary environmental impact

The solution – an amazingly economical & innovative thermal glove

Badger’s solution for the warehouse’s dilemma was to develop an economical thermal glove that would last weeks, instead of days. It needed grip, comfort and warmth. Say g’day to the Cosy CrissCross!

The Cosy CrissCross is made with an acrylic/polyester shell for the perfect blend of comfort and durability. The PVC grip covers both sides of the glove so pickers can get twice the lifetime. Plus, the crotch between the thumb and forefinger is reinforced.

Combined, these innovations mean this chiller & freezer glove provided an extremely cost effective and comfortable safety glove for their staff. The numbers below speak for themselves!

Weekly Usage – Cosy CrissCross Gloves

300 employees in chiller – 75 pairs per week

100 employees in freezer – 25 pairs per week

Total: 100 pairs per week @ $5.00 = $500.00

Reduced Hard Costs

The reduced glove usage obviously led to a significant reduction is costs for the company. Their monthly spend is now well under $2000.

Reduced Soft Costs

The company is now using 90% less gloves. This means the carpark and corridors are cleaner, less gloves are going to landfill, and the environmental footprint of the site is reduced. Furthermore, the new, brightly coloured and warmer gloves have boosted staff morale across the site! The positive benefit this factor brings to the team is powerful, albeit hard to measure.