Medline Teams With Dial to Provide Quality Skin Care Products for Health Professionals

MUNDELEIN, Ill. -- Medline Industries, Inc., has teamed with The Dial Corporation to provide high quality skin care products for healthcare professionals. In the long-term agreement, Medline's clinical staff will work with Dial to develop and design the complete line of hand care products, which will be sold under the name of Protection Plus Soap by Dial. Medline will handle marketing and distribution and Dial will manufacture the line.

The line, featuring soaps, lotions and shampoo, will be co-branded featuring packaging that displays the logos of both Medline and Dial.

"This is a perfect partnership in that Dial makes great products and has highly respected and well-known brand recognition in the consumer arena," said Andy Mills, president of Medline. "Medline has broad market penetration with over 650 sales representatives and a good name in the health care market. When our strengths are combined, the result is great products, well known names and the ability to market, sell and distribute on a national basis."

The new Protection Plus line includes:

-- Protection Plus Antimicrobial Soap -- a clear antimicrobial soap that

is effective against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and gram-

negative bacteria, yeast and mold. It comes in a variety of packaging,

including flip top, pump, bag for wall dispensers and gallon

containers.

-- Protection Plus Enriched Lotion Soap -- designed to help replenish

moisture that is lost with frequent hand washing. It comes in a variety

of packaging, including flip top, pump, bag for wall dispensers and

gallon containers.

-- Protection Plus Body & Hair Shampoo -- unique pH-balanced formula is

designed for patient care. It cleanses the entire body and hair. It

comes in a pump, bag for wall dispensers and gallon containers.

"As the company that invented the first antibacterial soap, Dial has been in the business of killing germs for more than 50 years," said Brad Munger, general manager of Dial's Branded Commercial Markets. "We're very excited to be working with Medline in a unique collaboration of the maker of America's No. 1 soap and the No. 1 supplier of medical products."

Medline was founded in 1966 but the company's roots in health care date back to 1910 when it was a garment manufacturer. Headquartered in Mundelein, Ill., Medline is the leading direct supplier of medical products and equipment to the health care industry. Based on sales of more than $1.2 billion in 2001, Medline is the largest privately held national manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies in the United States. The company has more than 650 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services. Medline distributes over 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, hospital laundries, home care dealers and agencies and other alternate site markets from its 27 distribution centers in the U.S. With five manufacturing facilities in North America, Medline manufactures many of the products it sells.

The Dial Corporation is one of America's leading manufacturers of consumer products, including Dial soaps, Purex laundry detergents, Renuzit air fresheners and Armour Star canned meats. Dial products have been in the American marketplace for more than 100 years.

Source: Medline Industries, Inc. and PRNewswire