Medline Industries, Inc., is a private American healthcare company based in Northfield, Illinois. It is the largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies providing products, education, clinical programs and services across the continuum of care with offices in 20 different countries. In 2018, Medline reached over $11 billion in overall company sales. Medline is currently ranked at number 32 on the Forbes 2016 list of largest privately held companies in America.
History
In 1910, A.L. Mills established the Northwestern Garment Factory making aprons for stock yards. In 1912, A.L. Mills established Mills Hospital Supplies Inc., making surgical gowns and nurses uniforms for hospitals. In the 1920s, A.L.’s son, Irving, took over the business and began distributing general medical supplies in addition to the garments. In 1961, Irving sold the company to Cenco. In 1966, A.L.’s grandsons Jim and Jon Mills left Cenco and founded Medline with approximately 12,000 square feet of warehouse space and one loading dock in Evanston, IL. In 1968, Medline opened its first textile manufacturing facility in Covington, Ind. In 1972, Medline opened its first non-textile manufacturing division with the purchase of an injection molding company. In 1995, Medline opened its first facility for assembling Sterile Procedure Trays in Waukegan, IL. In 1996, Medline entered the distribution business. In 2001, Medline started manufacturing private label wound care products for CVS, Walgreens, Target, Dollar General and Family Dollar. In April 2007, Medline acquired the Curad brand of first-aid products, from Beiersdorf, entering the retail market. The Curad brand include products such as bandages, surgical tape, and liquid bandage. In 2009, Medline Launched Generation Pink exam gloves to help raise breast cancer awareness and turned the original Pink Glove Dance video into a viral breast cancer awareness campaign, reaching 14+ million people. In 2011, Medline introduced BioMask, the first-ever FDA-cleared antiviral medical facemask shown to inactivate flu viruses. Today, Medline Industries, Inc. offers over 550,000 medical products and clinical solutions to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, physician offices, home care agencies and providers, and retailers. Its 24,000 employees extend to over 90 countries and include clinicians, researchers, engineers, financial experts and 2,000 direct sales representatives. Medline operates 43 U.S. distribution centers.
Labor relations
In over 50 years of doing business, Medline has had many charges filed with National Labor Relations Board. In late September, 2015, Medline terminated a warehouse operator at its Shepherdsville, KY distribution facility. The terminated employee alleged that Medline terminated him due to his alleged protected labor organizing activities. Medline settled with this employee for $15,000 on condition that the employee not return to work; this agreement was approved by the Region 9 director, Garey Lindsay, on January 26, 2016. Medline admitted in a Notice to Employees that: "WE WILL NOT do anything to prevent from exercising their . "WE WILL NOT place employees' union activities under surveillance. "WE WILL NOT ask employees about their support for a union. "WE WILL NOT prevent employees from distributing union or NLRB information and materials at work during non-work time and in non-work areas. "WE WILL NOT threaten employees with unspecified reprisals if they do not disclose on employment applications whether they support unions. "WE WILL NOT promise to remedy employees' grievances to discourage union support. "WE WILL NOT suspend or fire employees because of their union support. "WE WILL NOT in any like or related manner interfere with, restrain or coerce in the exercise of the rights guaranteed under Section 7 of the ."
