Excerpts from the interview with Hartalega Holdings group MD Kuan Kam Hon.

STARBIZ: You are expanding capacity by more than 80% this financial year and by another 50% next year. The nitrile market is not growing at this pace. Who will you take market share from?

Kuan: I'm taking market share from natural rubber (gloves). There is a switch, especially in the US, from natural rubber to nitrile (synthetic rubber) gloves because there are people with allergies to natural rubber gloves.

Like the John Hopkins hospital in the US, it has stopped the use of natural rubber gloves; they don't know who has the allergy, so they've stopped using it altogether.