Foundation: 1953, acquired by the uvex safety group in 1998
Location: Neuensalz
Management: Daniele Grasso
In 1998, workwear and protective clothing represented the largest market segment for personal protective equipment in Germany. To compete successfully in this highly competitive market—and to build in‑house manufacturing expertise—uvex acquired Vogtland‑Konfektion in Ellefeld, Saxony, in the same year. This marked the establishment of a European textile center designed to meet the needs and expectations of major textile customers.
Today, uvex safety textiles is a center of excellence with a strong focus on textile PPE products. The company positions itself as an innovative provider of customized system solutions and advanced workwear concepts. Based in Neuensalz, uvex safety textiles brings together consulting, design, development, and production expertise, supported by a partner network of internationally renowned research institutes, leading European material manufacturers, and high‑performance production facilities.
Founded in 1953 as a state‑owned enterprise (VEB Bekleidungswerke) in Ellefeld, the company marked the beginning of what has become a success story spanning more than 70 years.
In 1988, the foundation stone was laid for a new building in Ellefeld, including a modern high‑bay warehouse. By 1990, the operation still comprised several plants and production facilities.
The clothing factory was taken over by the Treuhandanstalt and renamed Vogtland-Konfektion GmbH.
With the launch of the “evolution” collection, the first image workwear line was introduced. With more than one million pieces sold, the collection became one of the most successful workwear collections in Germany. In the same year, the first items of protective clothing were manufactured for uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH.
This marked the beginning of a collaboration between Vogtland‑Konfektion GmbH and uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH. In the following year, uvex Arbeitsschutz GmbH acquired the assets of Vogtland‑Konfektion GmbH and established the “Vogtland” production site as a textile center of expertise.
In response to the successful development of the textile center, AXENTO GmbH was founded. With its foundation, strategic areas such as services, service partnerships, and manufacturing partners within the rental service industry were further expanded. At the same time, the positioning statement “axento – CENTER OF TEXTILE SOLUTIONS” was introduced.
AXENTO restructured its production operations, relocating all in‑house manufacturing entirely to other European countries and to Asia.
In 2009, the company was renamed UVEX SAFETY Textiles GmbH.
10th anniversary of the GmbH and the textile center of expertise in Ellefeld.
Release of the first proprietary catalog of UVEX SAFETY Textiles GmbH.
Following extensive planning, uvex safety textiles moved into its new premises in Neuensalz (Zum Plom 5, 08541 Neuensalz) in 2025.
The site in Neuensalz, newly occupied in 2025, features its own on‑site production facility, including a sample sewing unit for the manufacture of prototypes, as well as an in‑house laboratory for conducting extensive quality and performance testing.
