From Warehouse Floors to Global Impact

Innovation Starts with Listening

When Samuel Enqvist first joined Ejendals as a product manager for footwear in 1985, the company looked very different from the international brand it is today. 

The lunchroom at the headquarters in Leksand used to be the warehouse floor – a simple pick-and-pack hall serving a company of around 20 employees. Annual sales came in roughly at €6 million. Everyone gathered around the same table for morning coffee. Teams worked closely together. The atmosphere felt less like a corporate headquarters and more like an extended family built on trust and mutual respect for one another’s work. 

Samuel Enqvist and Valfrid Ejendal at the Ejendals office in the 1980s.
From Handskas med handskar, Barbro Ejendal (2004).

“It has been a tremendous journey,” Enqvist says. “Already then, we had a very strong family atmosphere. Everyone was deeply committed to what they did.”  

At the end of May, Enqvist retires. During his time here, he has held roles across the company, including product management, sales, marketing, and operations. Each role has given him opportunities to connect with co-workers and often inspire them. After such a long journey, he has witnessed firsthand how we have evolved from a small-town local Swedish supplier into a global leader in protective gloves and shoes. 

Today, Ejendals operates in more than 30 countries with around 450 employees and annual turnover approaching €200 million.  

Built on Respect for those using the products 

Enqvist remembers that back in the 1980s, occupational safety products were often viewed very differently than they are today. Gloves, in particular, were treated as cheap disposable products expected to wear out quickly. No one focused on comfort or durability, and Ergonomics wasn’t on anyone’s mind.  

“Manufacturers had more or less the same types of gloves,” Enqvist recalls. “Most products were not even branded.” 

We soon understood that workers needed a different type of glove, focusing on better materials, improved fit, and designed to last longer, even when that meant higher prices. It reflected something that still defines us today: respect for the people using the products every day. 

One product would come to symbolize that philosophy more clearly than any other: the now-iconic 8127 glove. 

The famous glove that defied expectations 

At the time, textile gloves used across most industries were often poorly sewn, uncomfortable, and available in only two sizes: male and female. Per-Olof Ejendal introduced the TEGERA 8127, a glove with softer materials, improved craftsmanship, better grip, and four different sizes for a more precise fit. 

“We thought the glove looked like wedding gloves,” Enqvist says with a laugh. “And the price was two or three times higher than competitors.” 

The TEGERA 8127 became one of Ejendals' most successful gloves.
It remains part of the TEGERA range decades later.

The sales team was skeptical that anyone would purchase gloves at such a high price. But customers quickly recognized the difference. The glove became a blockbuster product sold in millions of pairs and was eventually copied by other glove manufacturers. 

For Enqvist, this is just one story that reflects how we develop our safety gloves and footwear by starting with understanding how products are used on a daily basis. Then we continuously improve those products to meet changing needs long before the market fully understands the value. 

Innovation Driven by Real Needs 

Over the decades, innovation didn’t rely on market fads but remained closely connected to how people actually work. Enqvist understood how necessary it was to remain close to those using the products.  

When workers said existing safety shoes were heavy, stiff, and uncomfortable after long hours spent working on a hard concrete floor, Enqvist heard them. He quickly found a JALAS solution based on running shoes. The resulting insole was called Ergothan, a unique insole with shock-absorbing material which relieved force from every step and it used waterproof, breathable membranes to improve comfort during long shifts. In fact, we were the first in Europe to introduce safety shoes with the Ergothan athletic-inspired shock absorption. 

“The more we understand our customers’ situation, the better we can meet their needs,” Enqvist says. His co-workers agree and believe his ability to do this is one of his strongest traits.  

“Samuel has the ability to see people and challenge them in ways that bring out the best in each individual,” says Mikael Baggens, Business Developer, Ejendals. “He inspires us to think bigger and dare to try new things.”  

For Enqvist, innovation has never been about technology alone. It starts with listening to customers, something Enqvist excels at, whether he’s meeting one on one with a Health and Safety Manager or giving presentations to sales teams. Colleagues often describe him as someone who makes you feel as if you are the most important person in the room.  

His approach to listening, learning, and continuously adapting to new ways of working mirrors our core values, and it’s this mindset that shaped one of our most important turning points. 

Stepping into new markets 

Until 2004, we sold exclusively within Sweden. When we expanded into Norway, it was a cautious step with just one salesperson. 

Within a year, sales reached €3 million. 

“That was when we realized we could succeed internationally,” Enqvist says. 

Expansion into Denmark, Germany, Poland, Benelux, and additional markets followed step by step. Enqvist, who was responsible for export sales during much of that growth, describes the development as steady rather than sudden. A strategy rooted in long-term thinking instead of short-term gains. 

As new markets opened, customer service teams in Leksand expanded too, adding new languages and capabilities, yet Enqvist remembers how even through the growth, the company kept the close-knit culture that had defined Ejendals from the beginning. Teams gathered together over coffee just like they had in those early days. And Enqvist continued to inspire others around him.  

Today, seeing Ejendals employees working across more than 30 countries remains one of his proudest reflections. 

A Long-Term Mission focused on Safety 

Over time, the work became about more than just supplying gloves and shoes. As we discovered how injuries happen in real working environments, our role evolved too.  

Preventing injuries became a focus of every shoe or glove, driving us to adopt a clear vision of zero injuries to hands and feet. Enqvist explains that protection is not only about performance for today’s needs. It’s about creating products that workers can trust day after day, year after year. 

That same thinking now extends beyond people to the broader impact on the world around them. 

“To offer products which contribute to reducing the global footprint is non-negotiable today,” Enqvist says. “But durability is also sustainability. Long-lasting products reduce consumption.” 

Enqvist believes our success ultimately comes down to one thing: staying close to the people who use the products every day. 

“We live in a changing world with new ways of working and new challenges,” he says. “The more we understand our customers, the better we can continue to support them.” 

For someone who witnessed Ejendals grow from a small Swedish warehouse operation into a global safety company, our values of respect, long-term thinking, continuous improvement, and innovation are not just words. They are principles Enqvist has watched shape the work we do for decades and he believes they will continue to shape our future. 

Text by Cassandra Blomberg