Good things come to those who wait. More than good, in fact! After being denied access to the US occupational safety market for 20 years due to a lack of trademark rights, the uvex safety group has now succeeded in re-entering this market in collaboration with HexArmor. But let's start at the very beginning:
A serious accident involving Rainer Winter, the second-generation head of the company, resulted in the sale of the uvex trademark rights for the Western Hemisphere (North, Central, and South America) in the occupational safety sector in 1993 during his absence. This prevented the Fürth-based group of companies from accessing the US occupational safety market, which is the largest market for occupational safety worldwide. The uvex sports business segment was not affected by this. In its search for a suitable partner to re-enter this vast market, uvex found HexArmor, an American company that has revolutionized the production of protective gloves. Its SuperFabric® material is made of small overlapping tiles that act like armor, providing outstanding cut and puncture resistance. HexArmor's neon-colored gloves offer additional unique features. An exoskeleton absorbs shocks, reducing pressure on the fingers and hand bones by up to 80 percent. Nubs and grooves on the inner surfaces ensure maximum mobility and a reliable grip, even when surfaces are wet or oily. Alongside its renowned gloves, HexArmor also sells safety glasses, arm protection, hearing protection, safety helmets, and foot protection.
All products acquired by the uvex safety group through HexArmor and distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa) may also be sold under the HexArmor brand. This is a genuine success story with a happy ending, showing how people and products can work together to create global synergies.
Since 2025, the uvex group has held a 100% stake in HexArmor. In all the years of partnership, HexArmor has grown to become the second strongest brand in the uvex group and the largest location at its site in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
