Ansell Limited (Ansell) provides health and safety protection solutions that enhance workers’ safety and lives across multiple industries. The company develops, manufactures, and markets a wide array of hand and body protection products and other safety solutions for both healthcare and industrial sectors. Ansell's products are designed for healthcare professionals, industrial workers, and end consumers.[1]
Ansell's history began in 1893 when Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company of Australasia Ltd was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.[2] The man who later founded Ansell, Eric Norman Ansell, worked at the company as a mechanic. In 1905, he left to set up his own business manufacturing condoms. [3]
In 1906, his former employer was renamed Dunlop Rubber Company of Australasia Ltd. In 1929, it merged with the Perdriau Rubber Company, a manufacturer of general rubber products based in Sydney, forming Dunlop Perdriau Ltd. The new company focused primarily on the production of automobile tyres and later expanded into other rubber products. In 1967, the company changed its name to Dunlop Australia.[2]
Between 1905 and 1929, Eric Ansell dedicated himself to broadening his rubber manufacturing experience, producing new types of products such as balloons and household gloves.[3],[4] Finally in 1929, his company was registered as E.N. Ansell & Sons Pty Ltd. In 1934, the company's name was changed to The Ansell Rubber Company Pty Ltd.[3] More than thirty years later, in 1965, Ansell introduced its first disposable surgical gloves under the GAMMEX™ brand. Innovative for their time, the gloves were sterilized using gamma radiation and then packaged so they were ready-to-wear.[4] By the year 1969, the company was acquired by Dunlop Australia.[3]
In 1980, Dunlop Australia merged with diversified industrial company BTR Nylex to form Dunlop Olympic. This merger aimed to expand the company's product range and market presence beyond rubber products to various industrial and consumer goods. In 1986, Dunlop Olympic changed its name to Pacific Dunlop Limited.[5]
During the late 1980s and 1990s, Pacific Dunlop continued to expand and diversify its operations. In 1996, Pacific Dunlop announced a strategic initiative to focus on core businesses, and a divestment program to sell off non-core assets.[6]
In 2001, Pacific Dunlop divested its healthcare safety division, which included Ansell. This divestment allowed Ansell to establish itself as a standalone company with global expertise in manufacturing and marketing gloves and protective equipment.[2]
Since becoming an independent enterprise, Ansell has continued to grow organically and through acquisition, leading to the addition of new types of hand and body protection to expand its portfolio.
Acquisitions between 2011 - 2023 included:
1999: Acquisition of Marigold Industrial (UK), known for industrial gloves.
2002: Acquisition of Hawkeye Glove Manufacturing, enhancing Ansell's position in the protective gloves market.
2006: Acquisition of VibraGuard, a manufacturer of gloves for vibration protection.
2009: Acquisition of Comasec, a European-based company specializing in protective gloves.[7]
2011: Acquisition of Trelleborg Protective Products, known for chemical protective clothing.[8]
2012: Acquisition of Sandel Medical Industries, expanding Ansell's range of medical safety products.[9]
2013: Acquisition of BarrierSafe Solutions International, a leading North American provider of disposable gloves.[10]
2014: Acquisition of Hands International, a Sri Lankan glove manufacturer.[11]
2014: Acquisition of Hercules Equipments Ltd., enhancing their portfolio in industrial safety gloves.[12]
2014: Acquisition of Microgard, a UK-based manufacturer of chemical protective clothing.
2017: Acquisition of Nitritex, a UK-based supplier of cleanroom gloves.
2021: Acquisition of Primus Gloves, furthering their presence in the Indian market.
In 2017, Ansell sold its sexual wellness business to Chinese companies Humanwell Healthcare and CITIC Capital in a move to divest non-core business and increase focus on safety solutions and personal protection equipment (PPE) products and services.[13]
In 2024, Ansell completed the largest acquisition in its history when it acquired Kimberly-Clark's Personal Protection Equipment business for US$650 million.[14]
