"Palm Fit" Development Project Showa Glove Co. has always responded to end-users needs with creative Research and Development. Our "Palm Fit" glove, for example, was developed after careful study of the Japanese high tech industry. This glove has quickly become an indispensable product in this market and is an integral part of the innovative history of Showa Glove Co. The "Palm Fit" glove is now the gold standard for gloves in this market, with growing worldwide popularity and rapidly increasing demand. Recognized for its quality and functionality, it has become a major strategic product in Showa's growth and profitability. This is the story of two engineers and the barriers they overcame to develop this revolutionary technology.

Inundated with orders, Showa designs mass production line. Initially, "Palm Fit" glove was produced manually in one corner of the original factory. But great market acceptance and growing demand soon overwhelmed the production facility. It was then that Showa, led by design engineer Mr.Noriki Ikeda, constructed a mass production line exclusively for this glove.

"Palm Fit" glove is produced in the following process. First, we put gloves made of woven wooly nylon, a special fiber, on hand molds. Then, they are dipped in polyurethane resin. The first dipping machine, however, produced many defective goods due to bubbles caused by the machine. In order to solve this problem, a dipping machine had to copy smooth movements of our arm. Therefore a new dipping machine was designed, and the production problems were solved .

Demand continues to grow. Highly automated mass production lines created to increase production efficiency.   Word quickly spread throughout the industry that Showa "Palm Fit" glove was clean, comfortable and breathable leading to increased worker compliance and productivity. This prompts Showa to multiply the number of mass production lines in order to satisfy the now blossoming demand.

At first, since these gloves were a completely new concept for high tech manufacturers, I anticipated only gradual sales increases. And I would have been satisfied with that result. But the gloves were quickly embraced by many large customers and sales exploded.

Conventional production methods could not keep up with the rising demand for our products. Therefore we designed a new production line called a "Chain Line". After much experimentation and many lab tests, we were able to perfect the dipping process, eliminating bubbles from forming in the polyurethane.

Overseas demand begins to burgeon, leading to much larger production lines. Demand burgeoned rapidly both at home and abroad. To cope with this increasing demand, the Nibuno Factory opens large scale production lines.

Whenever we expand our factory, although there is no formal ceremony, I take pleasure in knowing that I was able to contribute to this successful project. There is no time to celebrate however, because the next project is already underway.

A new plant is built in Malaysia. To further increase production capacity and provide better value, Showa opens a dedicated factory in Perlis, Malaysia. With several large "Palm Fit" glove lines, as well as production lines for all of the other high tech gloves, this factory is said to be one of the worlds largest glove manufacturing facilities. Extra capacity has been added to this site almost annually as the "Palm Fit" glove continues to define protection and performance in the high tech glove industry. "Palm Fit" glove has become a big hit worldwide. However, I don't particularly feel deep emotions.I'm still busy everyday.We are already working on ways to improve the "Palm Fit" glove and the "next generation" should be even better than the original. There's no time to indulge in reminiscences.I believe we should always be looking to make better products as long as we work at Showa Glove Co.