You are safe with us
We’re on a mission: To make sure that our customers come home to their family and loved ones, every day. This is our reason for being and what drives us to go to work each morning. We do it by improving people’s safety and performance in extremely demanding work environments, like oil platforms, alongside roads, in ports and heavy industries.
It’s no coincidence that we’re the leading company within protective clothing and equipment. Every single product is born out of necessity, developed in close cooperation with our end users. Over the years, we have developed a culture of continuous innovation, where methods, concepts, and products are developed and refined on an ongoing basis. We have evolved into an innovative business partner who, through impeccable service and expertise, makes personal protective equipment smarter and the world a little safer. Our motto is ”Saving Lives”. This is not only our duty, but it also makes us feel good. It would be difficult to find anything more meaningful to spend our time doing. We are Smooth, Ambitious, Futuristic, Energetic. In short: We are S.A.F.E. So are you.
A HISTORY OF SAVING LIVES
TST Sweden was founded way back in 1990 with one goal in mind; to save lives. To this day that is still our main mission. The abbreviation in our name TST stands for Textil SkyddsTeknik, Swedish for “Textile Safety Technology”, and describes pretty much in short what we do. We develop innovative textiles and through groundbreaking design, we mold them into protective clothing and equipment that save lives.
In the beginning, we exclusively created protective clothing against radiation heat, and molten metal. However, after encountering Dyneema, an ultra-light and ultra-strong fiber, we saw an opportunity to create protective clothing that could benefit even more demanding industries. From there we started looking for extreme work environments with harsh conditions. Places where we felt that we could, by use of this fabric and innovative design, make a difference – and in the long run also save lives. When we visited a worksite where operators were working with high water pressure, we knew that we had found just that.
Today around 90% of our PPE is exported, and our clothing can be found worn by waterjet operators across the world. We look brightly at the future and strive to continue improving and developing our PPE range. Looking forward we have no plan to stop doing what we do best – saving lives.
THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DETAILS
We founded our company in the region of Sjuhäradsbygden, in the south-west of Sweden, and we are still working from here today. Sjuhäradsbygden has been the home of textiles production for over a century – and still is today. Several of Sweden’s biggest fashion and textiles companies are based in the region. There are many benefits of being here. Invaluable experience and sound knowledge of the textiles industry converge here in a single place. What’s more, the collaboration between companies is also excellent.
If you work with products that are designed to save lives, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. We use local suppliers that we know well, and we work with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås. We develop our products ourselves and production is local, which allows us to better control the entire chain. All of this helps us to be innovative and at the forefront of development, which in turn ensures that we can uphold the highest of standards and offer the best functionality – down to the smallest detail.
SAFETY FIRST
Is it really necessary to always use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when working with waterjetting? Before you answer, read this.
Your eyes are at risk of damage already at a pressure of 7 bar/100 psi and above. Skin penetration may occur from 80 bar/1 160 psi. High-pressure cleaning uses approximately 200 bar/2 900 psi. In waterjetting the pressure is 1 200 bar/ 17 400 psi or more, that’s enough to cut through concrete! What it could do to the human body isn’t hard to imagine. Unfortunately we have seen these effects. That is why our motto is ”Saving Lives”.
Water jetting can be dangerous even if you do everything right. Accidents happen when you least expect them to. Hoses burst and couplings break. Even the most experienced worker may slip. That’s why you should never allow exemptions from wearing PPE even for jobs that ”will only take a few minutes”. If you are within an area of about 25 meters radius from high water pressure activities – regardless of it being performed by a colleague, a robot, or an automated solution – we highly recommend that you use PPE.
Employers have obligations concerning the provision and use of PPE at work. By using our products, you will contribute to a safer workplace where the workers safety and wellfare is highly valued. Make sure that your employees get to go home to their loved ones, every day – and are fit for work again the next day.
Saving lives through sustainability
Our promise to our customers and their families is to save lives. As we contribute to safer workplaces around the world, we are also committed to minimizing our impact on the planet – a responsibility that drives us on a continuous journey of improvement. Through thoughtful choices and genuine dedication, we aim to support sustainable development.
Guided by the UN global goals
The UN’s global goals are essential guideposts for sustainable development, and TST is committed to supporting them. Goal 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe working environments is more than a guideline to us – it is the very reason TST exists and the core of our mission. As a producer, we also embrace our responsibility for Goal 12: Responsible consumption & production. In the water-intensive fields of textile manufacturing and water jetting, we recognize our role in advancing Goal 6: Clean water & sanitation.
Local manufacturing
We manufacture the vast majority of our products in Sweden and Latvia, working closely with trusted, long-term partners to ensure fair working conditions and responsible water management throughout our value chain. The proximity to our manufacturers also reduces the need for unnecessary long transport to our warehouse in Sweden, helping to lower our environmental impact.
Made to protect, not to waste
At TST, we avoid overproduction, ensuring that everything we create is put to use and finds its way to workplaces around the world, saving lives. Our focus is on producing only what is needed, so nearly nothing goes to waste. This approach not only supports sustainability but also aligns with our mission to provide the best protection where it’s needed most.
Certified safety and quality
All our PPE products are CE certified in accordance with the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425: the European legislation for Personal Protective Equipment. TST Sweden is certified according to ISO 14001 environmental management and ISO 9001 for quality management. We work systematically to improve our products and reduce our climate impact.
Minimizing chemicals, maximizing protection
We follow the REACH regulation which concerns the registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemical substances. Fabric treatments including chemicals are essential for creating protective clothing with long-lasting durability, adding water and dirt resistance. We regularly evaluate new ways to minimize our chemical use, without compromising the life-saving quality of the garments.
Global reach, local support
Serving a global market often means covering long distances to reach our customers. By working with trusted local Distributors, we ensure that our products are available worldwide – without requiring constant travel from TST’s sales team. However, occasional visits to our Distributors are key to ensuring they have the knowledge needed to support end customers effectively. While we are conscious of the environmental impact of air travel, we believe these trips are essential to fulfilling our mission of saving lives.
Innovating protection
Our focus is on innovation, striving to lead the industry in developing materials that make our products safer, more comfortable, and more sustainable. Through collaborative partnerships, we actively drive the advancement of technical textiles for personal protection, contributing our expertise in various networks to support ongoing development.
Safety academy
Through our promise Saving Lives we are committed to ensuring that our customers come home to their family and loved ones every day. Therefore, educating the world about using correct water jet protection is a task we are passionate about. Our ambition is to spread knowledge to employers and workers all around the world, helping to make safety a shared priority.
Seeds of inspiration
We are dedicated to giving back to the community by supporting local organizations and initiatives that promote a more inclusive and sustainable society. From the coffee we drink to the cars we drive, we strive to make thoughtful choices. Just outside our office, we’ve replaced our lawn with a wildflower meadow to boost local biodiversity – a small step we hope will plant a seed of inspiration and encourage others to join us in building a greener future. Together, we can make a real difference.
SAFETY IS IN OUR DNA
As you can tell from our name, we’re from Sweden. A country that places a high value on safety and has a long history of safety consciousness. It provides a sturdy foundation when developing protective clothing and equipment for extreme environments.