Driving the group's improved results were its ongoing "operational, quality and cost optimization efforts" which it said helped offset the increase in raw material prices. Additionally, the uptick in sales volumes and consequent increased utilization rates and efficiencies also had a positive effect on the bottom line. "We are encouraged by the continual improvement in our results from quarter to quarter," said Lim Cheong Guan, managing director of Top Glove. He said a resumption in glove orders "indicative of the market rebounding," adding that Top Glove hoped to achieve "sustained recovery in the coming quarters."