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INSIDE MECHANIX WEAR header - w



SEPTEMBER 2025 EDITION

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HELLO TEAM

Welcome to the September edition of the Inside Mechanix Wear Newsletter! We’re thrilled to share exciting updates, including our $6MM business win with Lowe’s, a testament to our growing market strength. Our CPA Acuña and Del Rio teams celebrated a major milestone by successfully passing their first satellite ISO audit, showcasing our commitment to excellence. We’re also making great strides in integrating Kinco, our latest acquisition, into Mechanix Wear. This issue spotlights employees who embody our core values, driving our success every day. Finally, our global Leadership Team (Director-level and above) met for their annual summit, setting a bold vision for future growth. I can’t wait to connect with you all at our Global Townhall on October 16. Thank you for everything you do to make Mechanix Wear thrive! 

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WHAT's New
INSIDE MECHANIX WEAR

COMPANY UPDATES

  • We transitioned Trusco to updated T&Cs with minimum master carton orders, which has driven nearly 3x year-over-year sales and strengthened their positioning for military sales this peak season.

  • We are partnering with ESCO and Laylax to better forecast demand, with pre-orders already up 20–30% vs last year, reflecting growing trust from defense forces.

  • We successfully secured the renewal of the Lowe’s Employee Safety Glove Program for 2026 and beyond, a $6M+ annual program critical to our business and brand presence with over 100k Lowe’s employees each day (read more down below).

  • Kinco started in welding gloves for industrial sales, with Bruce (Travis’ dad) personally driving up and down I-5 to meet welding shops and sell product.

  • Due to business growth, Kinco has moved around the Portland metro area and is now in its 5th warehouse; at one point, the company even sub-let space to Häagen-Dazs when it was new to the Pacific Northwest

  • Leveraging success with MG-05 gloves, the team introduced A9 and later A3 cut-protection gloves at Shaw Industries Plant 4, growing an initial $15K trial into $160K in annualized revenue for 800 employees, with plans to expand across Shaw’s 20+ plants and other flooring manufacturers like Mohawk and Trex. 
  • We are pleased to announce the promotion of Jesus J. Borjas to Senior Revenue Growth Manager, EMEA, recognizing his leadership and key contributions over the past five years as he takes on an expanded role to drive growth, partnerships, and revenue strategies.

  • The EMEA team is preparing for a busy season, highlighted by the A+A Show 2025 in Düsseldorf on November 4–7, where we will showcase our products, connect with industry leaders, and strengthen our global presence with our own stand.

  • On October 30–31, 2025, we will host our first EMEA Distributor Meeting, bringing together key partners across the Fedtac channel to align on growth, product development, and evolving market needs while strengthening regional and country-specific strategies.

  • Congratulations to our Acuña and Del Rio teams for successfully passing their first satellite ISO audit, building on last year’s ISO 9001 certification and recognized improvements.

  • All induction stations at the KC warehouse are now in use with 27 robots running per level after technical issues were resolved, marking a major milestone as we move into continued testing to maximize capacity.

  • The Commercial Team, in partnership with LineDrive, launched the P50 initiative to target strategic end-user verticals, generating $2.1M in open opportunities and building an $800K pipeline since June, with strong potential for further expansion.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

 

Kendall-Wrobel

 BE A PROBLEM SOLVER 

Kendall Wrobel
Warehouse Manager

When the new labeling machine arrived with unexpected challenges, Kendall Wrobel led the charge in troubleshooting, with support from Paul Hardie and Drew Craighead. Kendall’s problem-solving got the system running smoothly, cutting manual work, reducing delays, and setting the machine to pay for itself in just three months. Great job, Kendall!

 

Efrain-Medina

 TEAMWORK 

Efrain Medina
Maintenance Manager

Efrain Medina, Maintenance Supervisor in Acuña, has played a key role in supporting the Skokie facility by resolving maintenance issues and developing a training plan for Nelson, the new Jr. Maintenance Technician. His efforts have improved equipment efficiency and production in Skokie, all while maintaining smooth operations in Acuña.

 

Diana-Herrera

 BE A PROBLEM SOLVER 

Diana Herrera
Aluminum Dept. Supervisor

Diana Herrera and the aluminized team in Skokie exceeded their sales KPIs for July and August, despite operating with fewer people due to vacations and sick days. They managed workloads efficiently while maintaining quality standards and meeting all customer delivery dates.

 

Navraj-Ghuman-1

 TEAMWORK 

Navraj Ghuman
Shipping Coordinator & Warehouse Associate

Nav has been instrumental in ensuring accurate, on-time customer shipments by building strong, trusted partnerships with carriers and securing their support when unique shipping solutions were needed. His leadership and training of temporary staff have also enabled smooth, successful program execution during peak holiday seasons. Thank you, Nav, for your dedication and impact on MWC operations!

CUSTOMER UPDATES

Securing the Lowe’s Employee Safety Glove Program for 2026 and Beyond

This summer we’ve been working on an RFP program with Lowe’s to determine what supplier would be awarded the Lowe’s Employee Safety Glove Program for 2026 and beyond.  Mechanix Wear has been vendor of record for this program since 2020 and it’s a very important program for our business generating annual ship volume of $6M+ in addition to our brand and the Lowe’s Safe Logo being worn on the hands of over 100k Lowe’s employees each day. 

We had very tough competition from the likes of Ergodyne and Wells Lamont who badly wanted to take this business from us.  Our product design team and R&D teams worked hard to develop a brand new and improved glove for Lowe’s based on feedback we received.  Our supply chain team negotiated very strongly with our suppliers to get the best price possible which enabled us to not only provide Lowe’s with a superior product but even with a lower cost.  We had our R&D Lab with the help of Nik Ineich and Derek Warneke totally deconstruct competitive gloves and run testing on both our product and competitors that successfully demonstrated our best in class product.  We highlighted our strong record of keeping Lowe’s in stock on this program over the past several years and our commitment to a “Never Out” inventory strategy.  Through a combination of all our Teamwork we were notified August 24th that we would be awarded the business for the next duration of the contract period. 

The award of this program was a result of every team (Sales/Product Development/R&D/Supply Chain) doing their job and going above and beyond while working at light speed to help win this critical piece of our business at Lowe’s.   


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Annual Leadership
Summit 2025

Dear Team,

I'm thrilled to share that our Annual Leadership Summit was a resounding success! Last week, our global Director-level and above leaders convened near our Valencia HQ to continue to chart the course for our future growth. The summit was an incredible opportunity to align on our strategic vision, dive deep into managing change, and explore the exciting opportunities following our recent acquisition of Kinco. A special thanks to Travis and his leadership team for their insightful deep dive into Kinco’s integration and potential.  It was truly energizing to connect in person, fostering collaboration, and sparking new ideas. I’m excited to share more about our discussions and next steps at our Company Townhall on October 16th. Stay tuned for details!

Best Regards,

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NASCAR in Chicago!

Mechanix Wear has been part of NASCAR for more than two decades because the sport is the ultimate test of performance, durability, and innovation. NASCAR pit crews, renowned for their speed, precision, and ability to thrive under pressure, trust our gloves to protect their hands and deliver superior grip during the most critical moments. Each race puts our products to the test at the highest level of motorsports, reinforcing their reliability where it matters most.

The energy of race day provides more than just excitement. With behind-the-scenes access, we can showcase our products in action while creating memorable experiences for customers, partners, and employees. Guests not only witness the thrill of NASCAR but also see firsthand how Mechanix Wear enables professionals to perform at their peak. These moments build lasting connections, deepen brand loyalty, and solidify Mechanix Wear’s reputation as a leader in high-performance hand protection.

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IT SECURITY CORNER
Stay Safe from Phishing

Phishing attempts are on the rise, and we’ve seen several targeting our inboxes recently. Here’s what to watch for:

  • Look before you click – Hover over links to check the real URL.
  • Check the sender – Watch out for misspelled names or unusual email addresses.
  • Think before sharing – IT will never ask for your password or MFA code by email.

point_right If you spot something suspicious, don’t click — click the phish alert button built into Outlook or notify IT directly at it@mechanix.com.

Phish of the Month: Recently, an email claimed to be from “Microsoft Support” asking you to reset your password. It looked urgent, but the link led to a fake login page. Remember: always go directly to Office 365, never through an email link.
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HEALTH
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