to so-called onshore this critical ppe in the last year and a half. has there been much progress? reporter: hey, paula. yeah, i ve actually been really surprised to see just how many companies think they can make money making something as simple as a medical glove, which is worth literally only pennies but requires some extremely expensive machinery and some complex chemistry to actually get right. right now there are at least a dozen night row glove factories popping up across the united states and all but one are starting from scratch. these companies are short on experience, but they are not lacking in ambition. literally hot off the production line, the very first hand molds being dipped in nitro. the result, a reliable stream of medical grade gloves made in america. this is a big deal because for decades the u.s. has imported these gloves from cheap
line. the very first hand molds dipped in nitro. e result, med-grade gloves made in america. this is important because for decades imported from chief suppliers almost entirely in asia and it took a pandemic to start to change that. this businessman felt compelled to act. we ve just watched hundreds of thousands, more than a half million americans die, and many of them for no reason. i think bad decisions have been made in american manufacturing. specifically for critical assets like class one medical devices. the decision has been made to make sure that never happens again. reporter: when the pandemic exploded the nitro glove industry plagueed by price gouging, fraud and scams. cnn investigation found counterfeit substandard even dirty, used medical gloves imported to the u.s. by the tens of millions. pre-pandemic only one nitro glove producer in the u.s.
reporter: literally hot off the production line, the very first hand molds being dipped in nitrile. the result, a reliable stream of medical grade gloves made in america. this is a big deal, because for decades, the u.s. has imported these gloves from cheap suppliers almost entirely in asia. it took a pandemic to start to change that. businessman dylan radigan says he felt compelled to act. we just watched hundreds of thousands, more than a half a million americans die, and many of them for no reason. i think bad decisions have been made in american manufacturing, specifically for critical assets like class i medical devices. the decision has been made to make sure that never happens again. reporter: the nitrile glove industry was plagued by price gouging, fraud, and scams. a cnn investigation found