What UVEX HECKEL does

UVEX HECKEL is the French distribution subsidiary of uvex Safety Group, a German-headquartered personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer. Founded in 1926 and headquartered in La Walck, Grand Est, the 46-person organization sells uvex-, Heckel-, and HexArmor-branded PPE into the French market across head, eye, hearing, respiratory, hand, body, and foot protection categories, serving construction, industrial, healthcare, and public-sector end users.

The product portfolio is built on proprietary technology platforms: supravision anti-fog coatings on eyewear, silv-Air respiratory protection, Bamboo TwinFlex cut-resistant glove fibers, the Mips-integrated helmet line, and the RAL-certified aXess one hearing protection range. A subset of products carries Cradle to Cradle Gold certification, targeting buyers with formal sustainability procurement criteria. The Heckel sub-brand covers safety footwear and HexArmor covers specialist cut-resistant gloves, giving the subsidiary depth in two segments where the core uvex brand is less established.

UVEX HECKEL operates a three-channel go-to-market — specialized PPE distributors, e-commerce, and direct sales — and generates revenue by distributing parent-group products into the French market. Pricing follows standard PPE distributor economics (volume-based with specification-driven premium SKUs in safety footwear, hearing, and cut protection). The unit is a sales and distribution arm rather than a manufacturing entity, so revenue is a function of French end-market demand, channel coverage, and parent-group product allocation.

Name

UVEX HECKEL

Legal name

UVEX HECKEL

Website

https://uvex-heckel.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UVEX HECKEL is the French distribution subsidiary of Germany's uvex Safety Group, selling branded personal protective equipment — head, eye, hearing, respiratory, hand, body, and foot protection — to construction, industrial, healthcare, and public-sector end users in France via distributors, e-commerce, and direct sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Protective Equipment

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (31621), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Optical Goods Retailers (456130)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Protective & Work Accessories Manufacturing (Safety Gloves/Hi-Vis Accessories) (IMAOAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cut-Resistant & Anti-Puncture Workwear (CRAAALAK), Safety & Industrial Protective Eyewear (CRAAAKAF), Protective Disposable Wear (Masks, Gloves, Shoe Covers, Hairnets) (CRADALAJ)

Keywords

• Personal protective equipment
• Safety helmets
• Safety eyewear
• Hearing protection
• Industrial gloves

Headquarters

HQ city

Fürth

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. PPE Product Sales: Sale of personal protective equipment including helmets, safety glasses, hearing protection, respiratory masks, gloves, workwear, and safety shoes through distribution channels and direct sales

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UVEX HECKEL manufactures, distributes, and sells a comprehensive range of personal protective equipment (PPE) for occupational and industrial safety. The portfolio spans head-to-toe protection including safety helmets (with Mips brain protection), safety glasses and goggles (with anti-fog and blue light coatings), hearing protection (earplugs, earmuffs, and electronic RAL systems), respiratory masks (FFP1/FFP2/FFP3), cut-resistant and chemical-resistant gloves, workwear (including Cradle to Cradle Gold certified compostable lines), and EN 20345 certified safety shoes. Products are sold primarily through authorized distributors in France, with a dedicated commercial team and B2B e-commerce platform supporting prescription safety eyewear sales.

Product overview

UVEX HECKEL is a comprehensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) company offering head-to-toe safety solutions under the uvex brand, supplemented by HexArmor (premium cut-resistant gloves) and Heckel (safety footwear) sub-brands. The product portfolio includes safety helmets (uvex pronamic, Mips-integrated helmets), safety glasses (uvex pheos nxt, uvex hypervision, uvex OTG plus, UVEX I-RANGE, uvex ultrashield, uvex UV400, uvex megasonic), hearing protection (uvex aXess one with RAL technology), respiratory masks (uvex silv-Air FFP1/FFP2/FFP3), workwear (UVEX SUXXEED, UVEX SUXXEED GREENCYCLE PLANET), safety gloves (uvex phynomic, uvex Bamboo TwinFlex, uvex rubiflex S, HexArmor HexBlue), and safety shoes (UVEX 1 G2 PLANET, uvex 1 sport, uvex 1 business). The company operates as a German-manufactured PPE portfolio with additional sub-brands for specialized applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• uvex: Primary brand for personal protective equipment including safety eyewear, gloves, helmets, hearing protection, respiratory protection, and workwear
• Heckel
• HexArmor

Products and services

• Safety helmets (Casques de protection) Safety helmets for protection against mechanical, electrical, and thermal risks including construction helmets (EN 397), bump caps (EN 812), industry helmets for chemical and automotive sectors, forestry helmets, electrician helmets, and height work helmets. Product line includes uvex pronamic combining protection and dynamic flexibility.
• Safety glasses and goggles (Lunettes de protection) Safety glasses, over-the-glasses spectacles, and panoramic goggles for eye protection in construction, industry, and healthcare environments. Range includes uvex pheos nxt, uvex hypervision flexible goggle system with optional face shield, uvex OTG plus over-glasses, uvex ultrashield, uvex i-range 3-in-1 glasses made from recycled and biobased materials, uvex pure-fit 100% recyclable eyewear, UVEX IR-EX infrared protection glasses, and uvex CBR23/CBR65 blue light protection tints. Over 246 products available.
• Hearing protection (Protections auditives) Earplugs (disposable and detectable variants), ear muffs, and helmet-mounted earmuffs with attenuation levels between 24 and 35 dB. Includes uvex aXess one electronic active hearing protector with Real-Active-Listening function for situational awareness. Over 84 products available.
• Respiratory protection masks (Masques de protection respiratoire) FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3 filtering facepiece respirators protecting against aerosols, dusts, mists, and fumes. uvex silv-Air range combines shell mask stability with folding mask flexibility. Over 36 mask products available.
• Workwear and protective clothing (Vêtements de protection et de travail)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ recycled materials in phynomic XG planet gloves
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mips®coreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership between Mips® and uvex focused on construction safety. New construction helmets are now available with the Mips® system to reduce the risk of traumatic brain injuries in cases of oblique impacts. The Mips® system is designed to enhance helmet safety in many accidents by reducing rotational motion transferred to the user's head.
• HexArmorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHexArmor is a subsidiary brand of uvex group. Under the uvex and HexArmor brands, the company offers a complete range of protective gloves adapted to daily workplace risks: mechanical protection gloves, anti-cut gloves, chemical protection gloves, thermal protection gloves, and gloves resistant to needle punctures.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ansell: Global leader in hand and body protection, with strong overlap in safety gloves (mechanical, chemical, cut-resistant) and protective apparel. Comparable to uvex's glove and workwear categories, particularly in healthcare and industrial verticals.
• Bollé Safety: Specialist in safety eyewear, goggles, and face protection, headquartered in France and competing directly with uvex in the eye protection category. Comparable in its focus on premium optical protection and presence in industrial and construction channels.
• Delta Plus: France-headquartered designer, manufacturer and distributor of personal protective equipment for construction and industrial workers. Directly comparable to UVEX HECKEL in terms of product breadth (head-to-toe PPE) and primary end-markets across Europe.
• Showa Group: Japanese-owned global glove manufacturer specializing in cut-resistant, chemical, and disposable hand protection. Directly comparable to uvex's glove portfolio and HexArmor sub-brand positioning in premium cut protection.

Broad incumbents

• MSA Safety: Global safety equipment manufacturer with strong positions in head protection (hard hats), respiratory protection, and fall protection. Overlaps with uvex's helmet and PPE categories but operates at a much larger scale with broader industrial markets.
• DuPont Personal Protection: Manufacturer of protective apparel (Tyvek, Nomex) and chemical protective clothing used in industrial and cleanroom environments. Comparable to uvex's disposable coverall and workwear ranges, especially for hazard-specific applications.
• Honeywell Safety Products: Diversified global PPE incumbent offering eyewear, hearing protection, respiratory protection, gloves, and fall protection under brands such as North, Howard Leight, and Miller. Comparable to uvex as a comprehensive PPE provider for industrial and construction customers.
• 3M Safety & Industrial: Massive diversified safety division offering respirators (FFP), safety eyewear, hearing protection, and reflective workwear. Comparable to uvex in category overlap, though 3M's portfolio is broader and spans many non-PPE businesses.

Emerging players

• Dräger: German-headquartered specialist in respiratory protection, gas detection, and PPE. Overlaps with uvex in FFP-class respirators and hearing/head protection, with comparable engineering heritage and European industrial customer base.
• Petzl: France-based specialist in head protection (helmets for work-at-height, rescue, and industry) and fall protection. Comparable to uvex in construction and industry helmet categories with overlapping end customers in France.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uvex_safety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/uvexgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/uvexgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uvexheckel
• Instagraminstagram.com/uvex_group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UVEX HECKEL