Visit Lindström at UK Metals Expo 2026
Is managing protective workwear becoming another job to manage?
Meet Lindström’s Textile Experts at UK Metals Expo 2026 and discover a different way to manage protective workwear for metal, welding and manufacturing teams.
Lindström will be exhibiting at UK Metals Expo 2026 on 4 and 5 November at the NEC Birmingham, bringing our workwear rental and laundry service to Stand E12.
The event brings together businesses from across metalworking, fabrication, manufacturing, engineering and the wider metals supply chain. For us, it is a chance to talk about something that affects people on the factory floor every day: the workwear they rely on to do their job.
The purchase price is only part of the cost
Workwear rental can look expensive when it is compared with one thing: the price of buying a garment.
But a jacket or pair of trousers does not stop costing a business once it has been purchased.
There is laundry to organise, damaged garments to repair, replacements to source, stock to manage, changing employee sizes, new starters, leavers and the time somebody within the business spends keeping track of it all.
That is where the value of a managed workwear service becomes much clearer.
With Lindström, garments are supplied as part of a rental service, collected from site, professionally laundered, inspected, repaired where required and returned ready for use. Garments are also RFID tagged, providing greater visibility over workwear circulation and stock.
Instead of simply asking “How much does this garment cost?”, businesses should also be asking: “What does it cost us to manage workwear properly over its lifetime?”
Protective workwear needs to keep protecting
In metalworking environments, workwear can have a much bigger job to do than keeping somebody clean.
Welding, fabrication and engineering teams may be exposed to sparks, heat, flame, molten metal and other workplace hazards. Choosing suitable PPE starts with understanding the risk and matching the garment to the work being carried out.
Standards including EN ISO 11611 for welding and allied processes and EN ISO 11612 for protection against heat and flame can be relevant depending on the application and garment. Lindström also provides Declarations of Conformity showing which standards and regulations individual PPE garments have been designed and manufactured to meet.
That matters because protective workwear should not be selected simply because it looks heavy-duty. The right specification should reflect the actual work being done.
And what happens after it has been worn?
Selecting certified workwear is only one part of managing PPE.
Protective clothing also needs the right care throughout its working life. Lindström uses industrial washing programmes suited to different garments and levels of soiling, with garments inspected as part of the process and repairs carried out where required. For flame-retardant workwear in particular, correct care is important in helping garments retain their protective qualities through repeated use and washing.
For the wearer, that means properly maintained workwear is available when they need it.
For Health & Safety, Operations and Procurement teams, it removes much of the day-to-day work involved in organising laundry, repairs, replacements and stock internally.
Come and talk to our Textile Experts
We know every metalworking environment is different, which is why our team will not be standing at UK Metals Expo simply handing out brochures.
Our Textile Experts will be available to talk through what your people actually do, the hazards they face, what workwear you currently use and how it is managed.
You might already rent your workwear. You might buy it outright. You might be reviewing your PPE specification, struggling with garment availability or simply wondering whether there is a better way of managing it.
Bring the question to us.
Visit Lindström at Stand E12 at UK Metals Expo 2026, NEC Birmingham, 4-5 November.
Protective workwear. Professionally managed from fitting to laundry, repair and replacement.