In the loft of a barn in New Haven, Connecticut back in 1918, John D. Plant started the Company which today is a leading producer of Lightweight Industrial Gloves. The initial product was a line of conventional Canvas Work Gloves to which was soon added Pallbearer's or Undertaker's Gloves. Mr. Plant could see subtle changes in industry and foresaw its need for a Pallbearer type glove. Very soon the Lightweight Industrial Glove became the Company's principal product. Many of the early sales resulted from the efforts of Mr. Plant's wife, Florence, who traveled extensively in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York by trolley and train.

Through the years the Company has continued to grow and adapt to changing times. In 1954, a building was built in Branford, Connecticut to house a knitting operation. This building was expanded six times to accommodate the Company's relocation from New Haven in 1960 and its subsequent growth. A Canadian branch was established in Ontario in 1963. It was sold four years later. In 1966 at Cedar Falls, North Carolina, a branch was begun as temporary quarters, while a new building in Ramseur, North Carolina, was being constructed. The Ramseur building was expanded in 1970 and in early 1971 became the home of all the Company's operations. Again in 1977 the Ramseur Plant expanded to house a knitting operation.

Joint ventures in Malaysia (1976) Sri Lanka (1979) and Mexico (1999) allowed the Company to compete with other foreign competitors. In 1988, the Company began bonding gloves with an automated process which the Company believes will enable it to continue as an innovative leader in the glove industry.

In 2004 the Plant family sold the business to two longtime employees, Robert Jarman and Ron Tesh.

The gloves made literally "Have a Hand" in the fabrication, assembly and inspection of many familiar things you see and use daily.

Such items could be an alarm clock, TV, telephone, battery, plastic tableware, silverware, baby food jar, light bulb, safety glass, photographic film, jewelry, panty hose, beverage can, razor, cosmetic product, pen, cassette and even surgical gloves. The gloves are also used in the manufacturing or processing of many things we seldom or may never see; such as: uranium processing, jet engines, aircraft body and wing assemblies, film editing, engraving, space hardware, nuclear power, and so forth.

As the Company's products are used in such a wide range of industries and for so many varied applications, the opportunity is still bright for the Company to continue to expand and grow.

Send mail to  gloves@johnplant.com with questions or comments about THE JOHN PLANT COMPANY.
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