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November 07, 2012 11:00 PM

Localised production and mass customisation is the future of polyurethane footwear industry

Louise McHenry
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    Increased automation and process efficiency will allow shoe machinery makers stay ahead of the game in  the consumer-driven polyurethane footwear market.

    By Louise McHenry, senior reporter

    The future of the polyurethane  footwear industry is extremely customised production, where the selling of shoes will become an "adventure," and companies will need to respond with increased automation and adaptability in order to meet the demands of the future, according to Desma managing director, Christian Decker.

    The polyurethane machinery maker executive sees mass customisation in the retail sector becoming a big part of how people buy shoes in the future. This, along with high production flexibility, innovative design possibilities and improved performance, will be the focus of the footwear industry, Decker said in an 18 Sept interview at the Desma House Fair, held in Achim, Germany.

    Desma, which makes machinery and moulds for both direct soling and unit soling processes using polyurethane, rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and other thermoplastics, as well as injection machines for PU boots, presented its technologies and predictions for the future at the two-day event.

    Desma, which made Euro37 million in 2011 and Euro38 million so far this year, exports some 85 percent of its products - 30 percent of this goes to Asia, 25 percent goes to Europe, excluding Germany, with 10 percent each going to North America, and South and Latin America.

    In 2012, the largest market for footwear production is China, making 10 billion pairs per year, some 60 percent of global footwear production, but "this will not rise," Decker said. "In my opinion, China has no opportunity to grow any more in production capacity." Asia as a whole makes 80 percent of the worlds shoes.

    Decker expects that by 2022, production will grow in North America (currently 2 percent), and Europe (currently 7 percent), where the main consumer markets are. In South America, places like Brazil, Argentina and Chile "are coming slowly," he noted, adding that there is potential in Africa and the near east but it is not stable so he did not include it in his predictions.

    Decker sees this shift in production location as partly due to domestic brands "winning in importance," for a number of reasons. Fashion footwear is dictated, by trends which can change within a period of weeks, so companies need to have production easily accessible in order to respond quickly. Not having to deal with customs borders or currency fluctuation is also important.

    Changes in China

    In China, Decker predicts less expansion of production capacities but rather a change in philosophy: more automation, less stitching, new processes and more, and he said Desma is ready to meet these changes with its automation solutions. In the past two years, Desma had 12 automation projects in China and this number is rising. Decker noted that he anticipated this some 10-12 years ago and so the company was ready to respond to the need.

    As most Chinese producers are making footwear for "the big OEMs like adidas and Nike, they really want to go forward in terms of trends such as 'green', carbon footprint etc." There is a slight switch from solvent-based adhesives to water-based adhesives, but also in improving solvent-based processes to make them more environmentally acceptable globally, and Desma is in discussions with Chinese customers about ways to do this.

    At the moment in China, staff are trained to do one particular thing very well in order to keep quality high. A shoe that can be produced by one person in 12 seconds in Europe may take 22 seconds in China with 15 people working around the machine, each with a specific function. But in Europe, increased software control helps to ensure quality remains high. If a customer returns a shoe to a shop then information from the barcode can indicate "when the shoe was processed, which shift, which people, and which process cycle, and then they can see that, for example, there was a temperature deviation," Decker said. This allows producers to improve the process. Decker acknowledged that this relies on customers returning defective shoes but he noted that retailers are working on this, and that in 10-15 years, this may be a normal process.

    Increased automation

    Currently, the company has more than 30 automated processes that it is selling to its customers, both in China and across the world. Traditionally, shoe soles and uppers would be made separately and then bonded together, but Desma is working on the integration of these processes in one machine with automatic bonding, Decker said. "This is not a new idea, but it's growing more, and more processes are supporting us in this," he noted.

    Decker indicated a fully automatic machine used to make wellington boots, which was on show at the fair. The machine uses a mould and one shot of polyurethane to make the whole boot. This approach is becoming more popular. The brand Crocs achieved commercial success in the last decade with its one-shot EVA clog, he said, though Desma has been doing this with polyurethane in Germany for many years.

    In the footwear production chain, Desma is at the beginning. It supplies to the producer, "such as a Taiwanese company making shoes in Vietnam," who supplies to the OEM, who in turn supplies to the retailer, with the customer at the end, Decker said. He noted that Desma has interaction with the producers and the OEMs but that the company wants to develop its communication with the retailers in order to develop its concept of 'mass customisation,' where customers can obtain a tailor-made shoe in the shop. Though unlikely that an entire shoe could be made from scratch, Decker suggested that there could be options in terms of fabrics, colours and orthotics, which could be selected, then produced in the shop in a couple of hours.

    This is a modular system, Decker said. There are a number of elements, which will play a part in this coming to fruition. "We already have 50-60 percent of the modules. We have the basic technology in hand. The following 40 percent needs to be developed," he noted.

    Though it may seem that a machinery maker is far removed from the retail process, Decker wants to change this and thinks strongly about future trends. These include how consumers will use technology in the retail experience, the move toward individualisation and customisation of products, and also how consumers will come to expect their desires to be fulfilled on demand.

    Decker noted that the athletic, casual and fashion markets offer huge growth potential for the company. The company already has 70-75 percent of the safety shoe market, which is "comfortable," but Decker sees real development elsewhere. He added that he is not just looking towards the major brands in the US and Europe, but also towards the major local brands in China. "They are really creative and innovative in their development," he noted.

    The event, held 17-18 Sept, at Desma's site in Achim, Germany, featured customers and business partners. Decker said the main aim of the fair was to network and bring together its "family," while showcasing new technology and discussing market trends. This year was the first time the company achieved over 500 visitors.

     Low-pressure machinery

    Desma presented some of its innovations in low-pressure polyurethane mixing technology for footwear at the fair. All but one of its low-pressure machines has a self-cleaning head, and the machines are capable of dosing up to 100 g/s. In the mixing head, which can come either manually-, automatically-, or robotically guided, it is possible to have valves for six additional components other than isocyanate and polyol, which provides greater flexibility in processing. The 'recipe' can be varied between shots, or the level of a component can be altered during a shot in order to change the characteristics of the part being developed.

    As well as new valves, Desma has also developed new additive pumps, which allow for 99 percent processing precision due to a newly developed algorithm for additive dosing, according to Bjorn Dormann, Desma technical manager, in a presentation at the event.

    Dorman also noted also that in terms of the mixing screw, "we're trying always to develop the best geometry," focusing on aspects such as diameter, screw profile, and the number, type and design of the helixes, which are responsible for good foam quality.

     Trends in footwear

    Decker highlighted the following as being the current global trends in footwear:

    • Sustainability;
    • Carbon footprint;
    • Recycling;
    • Renewables;
    • Light & lean (i.e. shoes becoming lighter and production becoming more lean and optimised for energy efficiency, automation etc.).

    New system for shoes

    Dow Italia Srl presented its recent advances in thermoset polyurethanes for the footwear industry at Desma House: new 'soft touch' Voralast polyethers for the casual and business shoe market, and Voralast R polyesters, made using renewable feedstocks, which offer enhanced hydrolysis.

    Giuliano Garuti, EMEA marketing manager, footwear & furniture, told UTI in a 17 Sept interview at the Desma fair, that the polyethers should be on the market by the end of this year.

    Dow carried out market research and learned that the industry wanted good grip resistance, and also wanted to replace rubber and thermoplastics in the soles, so Dow developed the polyethers in response to this, he noted. "In dry conditions, there is not much difference but in wet conditions, our material is superior," Garuti said, referring to tests that have been carried out on soles made using the polyethers.

    "They have already been validated and customers have produced samples. Feedback is very positive," Garuti said. The new product will be more expensive as there is a difference in formulation but Garuti said the advantages associated with the product mean that this "should not be a problem for the customer.

    " In January 2012, Dow launched Voralast R, which has 35-percent renewable feedstock sourced from animal fat. The polyesters can be used for budget shoes right up to work boots. Garuti noted that 35 percent of renewable content is the optimal limit to maintain the quality.

    "It was possible to put more, 40, 45, but after that the quality of the shoes goes down." Garuti noted that this is a niche product. "We are not sure 100 percent" if all customers are willing to pay for green products, but that it will be of interest to customers with a 'green' vision.

    In footwear, Dow's sales are is strong in Europe, "particularly with this kind of material," Garuti said, referring to Voralast R. Some 45 percent of sales are in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, with another 40 percent in Asia, particularly India. The rest of the business is in places such as Brazil and Mexico.

     TPU compound materials

    Archy Huang of Nova Leather Enterprises presented his company's developments in thermoplastic polyurethane materials for the shoe industry. Nova, which is based in Taiwan and has two subsidiaries in China, has been supplying extruded TPU to the shoe industry for two decades. The company places emphasis on recycled material, Huang said, and tries to put this concept into its work. Nova's Aerotex material can be made from 100-percent recycled TPU, Huang claims. He noted that the company has also been trying to change the stereotype of TPU as a rigid material. Nova has developed Aerotex, which in its "primal state is very soft and elastic, like a fabric." It can be embossed and printed on, which is attractive to shoe designers, Huang said. Then the Aerotex is attached to a sandwich mesh, and when heat is applied, then Aerotex becomes a solid TPU film, while the rest of the upper remains lightweight and breathable.

     

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