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How Esenca Sizing Helped Mewa Achieve a 97% Fit Success Rate Across One of Europe’s Largest Workwear Rental Programmes
Customer
Mewa Textil-Service, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, founded 1908
Sector
Workwear and protective clothing rental, full-service textile management
Workforce served
Over 1.1 million employees wear Mewa workwear across Europe; more than 200,000 B2B customers across 53 locations
Solution deployed
Esenca Sizing Body Pro smartphone-based AI body measurement + custom reporting software integrated into Mewa’s control panel
Measurement accuracy achieved
97%, measured through actual garment return data
Time per measurement
2–4 minutes per worker (down from 15–20 minutes)
Daily capacity per device
Up to 300 measurements (up from 40 manual fittings per representative)
Rollout status
Live across all German locations; full European deployment planned by end of 2026
How Esenca Sizing Helped Mewa Achieve a 97% Fit Success Rate Across One of Europe’s Largest Workwear Rental Programmes
Mewa Textil-Service, one of Europe’s leading workwear service providers, replaced its traditional on-site fitting model with Esenca Sizing’s smartphone-based AI body measurement technology and achieved a 97% fit success rate, measured through actual garment returns. Sizing time per worker dropped from 15–20 minutes to 2–4 minutes; daily measurement capacity scaled from 40 to up to 300 employees per device, and the rollout is now being deployed across every European country Mewa operates in by the end of 2026.
What sizing challenges did Mewa face?
For decades, Mewa relied on a traditional on-site fitting model. A Customer Service Representative drove to client sites in a van containing sample garments, and employees gathered to individually try on clothing during work hours. At scale, the process became crowded, slow, and operationally difficult to manage.
The model carried structural problems that no amount of optimisation could fully solve. Sample garments had been worn, rewashed, and, often, shrunk, making accurate sizing inherently difficult. Employees absent due to vacation, illness, or off-site work either required repeat visits or had their sizes estimated based on colleagues who looked similar.
Even when fittings went smoothly, a single Customer Service Representative could measure at most 40 employees in a single day. For Mewa’s largest clients – industrial sites, healthcare networks, and hospitality operators with hundreds or thousands of staff – this capacity ceiling translated into multi-week rollout timelines, repeat travel, and operational friction at every stage of the order pipeline.
Subjective sizing, variable garment conditions, and limited daily throughput all contributed to a model that struggled to scale with modern customer expectations.
How Esenca Sizing replaced traditional on-site fittings
Mewa partnered with Esenca Sizing to move from physical sample-based fittings to a fully digital measurement infrastructure. Mewa’s Field Customer Service Representatives were trained on Esenca’s body measurement app and dashboard, with each client treated as a distinct digital entity holding its clothing requirements.
Instead of manual fittings, employees are now measured using Esenca Sizing’s smartphone-based system, which captures the body measurements needed for accurate size recommendations in 2 to 4 minutes per person from two full-body photos, with no sample garments required. A single device handles up to 300 measurements per day, and multiple devices can run in parallel at larger sites, allowing Mewa to measure hundreds or thousands of employees in a single visit.
For Mewa’s internal ordering systems, Esenca Sizing developed custom reporting software integrated directly into Mewa’s control panel. Size recommendations flow automatically into Mewa’s operational procedures, removing the manual transcription, paper-based logs, and downstream guesswork that traditional fittings produced.
Data security and personal data protection were core selection criteria. Photos capture only body outlines, are not stored, and serve solely to identify measurement points for translation into the size grid of the chosen Mewa collection.
How we measured fit success: actual garment returns
Mewa measured the success of the new system using the most objective indicator available in the workwear rental sector: actual garment returns.
In workwear rental, employees only return clothing that they genuinely cannot wear. Every return passes through Mewa’s standard operational routes, which means returns are documented, traceable, and free from the subjective bias of survey-based satisfaction measures.
A return rate of 3% therefore equates to a 97% fit success rate, measured against real operational behaviour rather than self-reported feedback. This is the methodology Mewa applied to evaluate the rollout.
Results: 97% fit success rate and a redefined service model
The pilot phase delivered a 97% fit success rate, with the return rate dropping to 3%. The decision to move to full company-wide rollout followed immediately.
The operational impact extended well beyond accuracy:
The rollout is now live across all of Mewa’s German locations, with deployment planned across every European country Mewa operates in by the end of 2026.
In Mewa's own words
”The integration of Esenca Sizing is a key milestone in our digital transformation strategy. It strengthens our digital service offering, enables more efficient and scalable fitting processes, and delivers clear value for both customers and service teams. Customer feedback confirms that digital convenience, combined with trusted personal service, is becoming a decisive factor in modern customer experience.”
Michael Kümpfel
Chief Customer Officer
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is Esenca Sizing's measurement technology in real-world deployment?
In Mewa’s deployment, Esenca Sizing achieved a 97% fit success rate measured through actual garment returns. Accuracy varies by measurement type and context; across customer deployments, Esenca Sizing’s technology delivers 91–98% accuracy. Lavans, an independent Dutch workwear rental company, achieved 91% sizing accuracy with Esenca Sizing across its workforce programme, validated through a separate methodology.
Is Esenca Sizing's measurement process GDPR compliant?
Yes. Photos captured during the measurement process show only body outlines and are not stored. They serve solely to identify measurement points for translation into the chosen collection’s size grid. Data security and personal data protection were core criteria in Mewa’s selection of the technology.
What hardware does the rollout require on the client side?
None. Esenca Sizing’s technology runs on standard smartphones. Mewa’s Field Customer Service Representatives use a single device per fitting visit, with the option to run multiple devices in parallel at larger sites. No infrastructure is installed on client premises.
How does Esenca Sizing compare to traditional on-site workwear fitting?
Traditional on-site fitting depends on sample garments transported to client sites, with employees trying on clothing during work hours. Daily capacity is typically capped at around 40 fittings per representative, and accuracy depends on the condition of sample garments and the subjective judgement of the worker. Esenca Sizing replaces this with smartphone-based measurement that processes up to 300 employees per device per day in 2–4 minutes each, with accuracy benchmarked against actual returns rather than self-reported fit.
What happens if an employee can't attend the on-site fitting?
Workers who miss a fitting – due to illness, vacation, or off-site assignment – can be measured remotely via a self-scan link sent directly to them. Measurements are transmitted digitally to Mewa, eliminating the need for repeat site visits or size estimation based on colleagues.
Does Esenca Sizing also measure hands and feet?
Yes. In addition to body measurement, Esenca Sizing offers dedicated hand and foot measurement software, addressing two of the most fit-critical PPE categories: protective gloves and safety footwear.
Where is Esenca Sizing's technology deployed?
Esenca Sizing’s measurement technology is deployed across European workwear, PPE, medical, and fashion markets, with active customers including Mewa (Europe-wide rollout), Lavans (Netherlands), and Essity / JOBST (medical compression garments).
About Mewa
Mewa Textil-Service is one of Europe’s leading providers of workwear and industrial textiles in a full-service rental model, and the market leader in Germany. Headquartered in Wiesbaden, the family-owned company was founded in 1908 and operates 53 locations across Europe with over 6,000 employees, serving more than 200,000 B2B customers. Mewa’s portfolio spans around 40 collections, covering workwear, protective clothing, service garments, healthcare textiles, and cleanroom apparel, alongside its reusable wiping cloth service. Across Europe, over 1.1 million employees wear Mewa workwear daily. The company is a pioneer of sustainable textile services and has been the majority shareholder in Esenca Sizing since 2024.
About Esenca Sizing
Esenca Sizing develops AI-powered body, hand, and foot measurement technology for workwear, PPE, medical, and fashion apparel applications. The company’s technology captures over 100 body measurements from two smartphone photographs in under 30 seconds, achieving 91–98% accuracy across measurement types. Headquartered in Bucharest, Esenca Sizing develops measurement solutions deployed across European workwear, PPE, medical, and fashion markets.