DROMEX workwear and PPE manufacturing drives jobs and skills in Hammarsdale
DROMEX workwear and PPE manufacturing drives jobs and skills in Hammarsdale
By Diane Silcock
DROMEX, a South African manufacturer of protective workwear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which recently exhibited at Electra Mining Africa 2026, is reawakening a historic manufacturing hub in KwaZulu-Natal, supporting skills development and employment while supplying workwear, footwear and PPE for demanding industrial environments.
In the six years since DROMEX expanded to larger premises and built a 25 000 m2 distribution facility and an 8 000 m2 SABS-approved manufacturing facility, the number of employees from the nearby Hammarsdale township has grown from 200 to 1000.
Hammarsdale manufacturing supports jobs and skills
The impact of the investment is particularly evident in Hammarsdale where employees are returning to textile-related skills they developed more than two decades ago, while DROMEX’s skills development programme is helping to upskill workers.
Cape Business News interviewed Andrew Mysell, DROMEX’s Head of Marketing, at Electra Mining. “It’s so good to work for a business that is invested in South Africa and in the local economy,” Mysell said. “The fact that we have invested in a factory, with a thousand people working, means a lot. We went to Hammarsdale township to make our documentary, and when you start to see it through the community’s eyes, you understand the positive impact. That is a huge motivator for us to create more jobs.”
Mysell says it is equally important to understand the people who use DROMEX’s products and wear its garments and footwear. They work in heavy industry and dangerous environments, including mines, foundries, substations and switching stations.
“Each day hardworking men and women get up and go to work in tough, uncompromising environments in order to provide their families with a better future. This is the reason that we design and test our products to the highest international standards to help bring them home safely. It was an eye-opener visiting Marikana seeing the miners going underground and understanding the conditions they work and live in. Our aim is to provide solutions that will make their lives easier, while creating awareness of safety gear.”
DROMEX caters for the changing needs of the workers that they serve, ensuring that their range is continuously evolving to meet these needs. At Electra Mining, they showcased a number of new innovations such as the EvoTech range of workwear, a voice amplification device for respirators, as well as new styles of footwear.
DROMEX innovation wins Electra Mining award
DROMEX won the Electra Mining Africa 2026 Innovation and New Products Award, for its voice amplification innovation which addresses a key challenge that workers face: the ability to communicate effectively and safely while wearing either a half or full-face piece respirator. The device integrates with DROMEX respirators to amplify the user’s voice, enabling communication without removing the respirator and potentially exposing the wearer to hazardous airborne substances.
DROMEX describes the innovation as a South African first and believes it could transform communication on the shop floor while improving compliance, increasing wear time and protecting users.
For DROMEX, the focus extends beyond manufacturing workwear and PPE to creating employment and developing skills in the communities where it operates. Mysell says the company’s desire is to help create a stable economic environment where people can thrive, and challenges other South African businesses to contribute to job creation and local economic development.
