Weldas^® Europe’s 25th anniversary marks a rich history of commitment to quality and innovation in welding gloves and clothing. What once began as a small company grew into a leading specialist in welding clothing and accessories. Let’s look back at how it all began and where Weldas^® Europe stands today.

A vision that started in a garage

Weldas^® was founded in 1984. The founder was a welding engineer. He began developing welding clothing and welding gloves in his garage, driven by the belief that better safety, material, protection and comfort were essential for welders. Now, after forty years, Weldas^® has become the world leader in welding personal protective equipment (PPE) with more than 1200 employees worldwide.

Expansion into Europe

During 1995, the EU announced requirements for testing and certification of welding PPE. In 1997, Marcel de Caluwé was hired to develop a basic range of welding PPE that were TÜV tested and certified. On April 1, 1999, Weldas^® Europe was officially founded, becoming the first welding PPE manufacturer and provider in the EU welding industry.

Expansion and growth

What began with a catalog of 15 gloves and a small assortment of welding clothing quickly grew into a comprehensive range of hundreds of high-quality welding protection products. Weldas^® Europe started in 1999 from rented premises in Rilland. In 2008, the company moved to newly built premises in Bergen op Zoom, where it is still located. Due to growing demand, the warehouse in Bergen op Zoom was doubled in 2014. Also that year, for the same reason, the management of Weldas^® decided to build a new production facility in Cambodia, along with its own tannery.

Weldas^® building in Bergen op Zoom

Weldas^® Europe’s team over the years

In 2009, ten years after the company was founded, it employed nine people, both full-time and part-time. In 2015, Huub Beijers, who was already working as a representative for Weldas, succeeded Marcel as director of Weldas^® Europe. The team at Weldas^® Europe has continued to expand with several full-timers, but will still largely consist of the same employees in 2024. At Weldas^® Europe, not only is the safety of the welders paramount, but also the well-being of the personnel themselves. The corporate culture at Weldas^® is characterized by openness and a close team spirit. 

Sales and marketing managers spread throughout Europe ensure broad sales coverage. By participating in international trade fairs, Weldas^® remains active in presenting the company on the market and strives for continuous growth.

Success factors

The success of Weldas^® Europe is due to several factors. First, there is the constant focus on quality, with all products meeting strict certification standards. In addition, the company is known for its high stock levels and fast deliveries. Moreover, service levels are high, thanks in part to the short lines within its own factory and tannery. As a result, Weldas^® Europe has established itself as a reliable partner for traders and welders around the world.

Innovation also plays a crucial role. Huub explains, “The Arc Knight^® welding clothing, with its combination of A-grade leather and flame-retardant cotton, has been very positively received by the market. Another brand that stands out is the Lava Brown^™ welding clothing, which has become the market leader in its segment.”

Weldas’ vision for the future

Weldas^® Europe is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the team. “We will continue to focus on improving existing products and developing innovative solutions to meet welders’ needs,” Huub says. “We work closely with a marketing agency that supports our team in all areas of online marketing, with the goal of enabling even more welders to benefit from Weldas’ products. In doing so, we are currently working on the development of a new website, with the goal of providing a more user-friendly experience for our dealers and customers.”