Testing leather and footwear since 1949 — certifying protective equipment as a notified body since 2005.
Independent testing laboratory and EU Notified Body (NB 1524) for the leather, footwear and PPE industries.
As an independent laboratory we have no stake in the manufacturers or the products we test, so neither can influence our results. Objective measurement and impartial evaluation — for product development, instrumented complaint investigation and conformity assessment.
By industry: motorcycle and welding PPE, importers, footwear and glove manufacturers →
I need testing
Laboratory testing of leather, footwear, gloves and textiles — from product development through production verification to instrumented complaint investigation.
- failure analysis & instrumented complaint investigation
- abrasion, durability & bonding tests
- chemical & analytical testing
- benchmark & supplier evaluation
I need certification
EU type-examination and conformity assessment of personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425 — as a notified body (NB 1524).
- safety footwear and protective gloves
- protective clothing: welding, heat and flame, motorcycle
- firefighter and chainsaw PPE
- EU type-examination (Module B); for Category III, Module C2/D may be provided by our partner notified body GÉPTESZT (NB 2233), depending on the product
Specialist PPE sectors
Where a manufacturer makes a whole range of protective equipment, we start from the whole range, not from a single test.
Motorcycle & mobility PPE
Gloves (EN 13594) and garments (EN 17092): material testing, assessment of existing test reports — protector certificates included — and EU type-examination within NB 1524's scope.
Welding & heat PPE
Welding gloves, protective clothing and footwear — a coordinated testing and certification process for a manufacturer's whole range, with a certificate for each product.
Instrumented complaint investigation
When a quality dispute requires measurement or reproducible laboratory testing — delaminating soles, discolouration or failing seams in a production lot — BIMEO provides objective test results to support the technical investigation. We have not issued consumer opinions based on visual inspection since May 2024, a service we provided in Hungary.
1949
from the Leather Industry Research Institute to today — 77 years in the industry →
NB 1524
EU Notified Body for protective footwear, gloves and clothing — designated since 2005 →
Knowledge
Standards, methods, procedures — in plain language →
Latest · 25 October 2026 · EU testing: 82% of sampled safety footwear models failed at least one check