How a Football Boot is Made

This series covers the full scope of production processes.

While the manufacturing production process might vary depending on the design of the shoe (ie. if it is a football boot or running shoe), and the specifics of each step in the process may be done in a slightly different way from factory to factory, the general process and steps involved is the same.

Click the Read More link below to view the the production process of the hummel 4.2 Concept FGC football boot, produced in China.



Click the Post Titles below for each part in the series.

Introduction

Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

Leather Tanning

While in China I had the opportunity to check out a leather tannery that produces cow and kangaroo finished products for many top brands' performance and lifestyle footwear.

This particulary tannery doesnt process the raw hides, but rather recieves them in "wet blue" form from local manufacturers or imports skins from Australia/New Zealand (kangaroo leather) or Europe (cow leather).

Click the Read More link below for more pics and info about the leather tanning process.






A "wet blue" is a semi processes skin, that is indeed, both wet and blue. The wet blue skin is a result of a chrome tanning process that is done after raw hide is fleshed and the meat and hair is removed and is designed to keep the skins soft and ready for further processing and free from bacterial growth.





Once the wet blue skins are recieved, they are first soaked in water to soften the skin. Then they go through a process called "semming" (not sure about the spelling of this, anyone have the correct term?), which pushes the water out of the skin, but keeps it soft to work with.

Skins are then "shaved" using a special machine that has a fine sandpaper like roller, which makes the skin (especially the bottom surface) more smooth and even.





After this, the skins are split to the correct thickness by being put through a machine that has knife edge which can accurately split the skin in crosssection.







Skins are then graded and measured. Measurement of processed skins is done using a special table that hasa computer controlled laser system which can determine the square footage of the particular skin and add the quantity to inventory.





After the wet blue process, the skins can then be drum dyed, to set a color or finish. The drum dying process involves putting the skins in giant drums along with various chemicals and dyes. A typical skin may go through 4-5 different 40 mintue cycles of dying with different chemicals for a 6 hour total process. Some special finishes can take up to 12 hours of drum dying.



Skins are then air dried for 2-3 days depending of the temperature and humidity inside the factory and can take up to 1 week in particularily cold or wet weather. the the above and below photos you can see the skins hanging from the ceiling on a conveyor system to dry.

Footwear Terminology

A to Z of footwear technical terms, construction methods, part names, and more.


Buff
To remove material by a sanding or roughing process. For example, EVA midsoles are buffed before assembly to help break the smooth surface for better adhesion to the upper.

Cement/Board Lasting
A lasting process where the insole board (carboard or texon) is inserted onto the last bottom and the lasting margin (excess) material of the upper is lasted onto the board and cemented to the insole board. Shoes of this type are usually more stiff and heavier.

Chemi-Sheet
A nonwoven reinforcement material that is impregnated with a chemical hardener that sets with application of heat or another chemical. Used commonly for counter or toebox reinforcement.

CM EVA
Compression Molded EVA. A foamed midsole material that offers good cushioning and compression set.

Collar
The opening area of a shoe at the top.

Colorway
A color/material combination.

Cosmo
An type of non-woven upper lining and reinforcement material used commonly on cross training and hiking boots that provides a stiffer (compared to Tricot) lining and support for the shoe.



Coutner
The back/heel of the shoe.

Eyelet
A hole through which you lace up a shoe.

Eyestay
The part around the lace opening (throat of the shoe). Can feature webbings, eyelets, etc.

FG
Firm Ground. Refers to football/soccer boots/outsoles designed for use on hard, natural surface.

Insole Board
The bottom part of the lasted upper.

Last
Anatomical representation of the foot for constructing a shoe

Lasting
The process of stretching the preassembled upper around the last, by machine or by hand.

Lasting margin
The upper material part that when lasted folds over the edge of the last onto the bottom, overlapping the insole board.

Midsole
The component of a shoe between the upper and outsole used to provide cushioning, fit, comfort and support.

Outsole
The bottom component of a shoe that provides grip and traction.

Overlay
An upper part which is over another part.

Padding
Refers to foam or other material usually inside the collar or tongue to add thickness/cushioning and improve fit.

PU (upper material)
PU upper materials usually use a thin layer of PU foam with a non-woven or fabric backing for reinforcement and strength.

PU
PolyUrethane. Synthetic (plastic) material with minute bubbles or cells and a skin like surface. Used for upper materials, and in a different form for midsoles or padding foam.

Pullover
A prototype sample for checking pattern and fit.

Quarter
The side of the shoe. Can have many subcomponents and parts.

SG
Soft Ground. Refers to football/soccer boots/outsoles designed for use on soft (wet) natural surfaces.

SKU
Stock Keeping Unit. A unique model/style/colorway/size. Commonly used to refer to a unique colorway. Ie, if there are 2 models each with 5 colorways, there are 10 SKUs total.

Slip Lasting
A lasting process where the insole board (usually canvas) is stitched around the last bottom edge to complete the upper. Usually used for more lightweight, flexible shoes such as running shoes.

SMU
Special Make Up. A special request by a customer (ie. distributor, retailer, etc.). It is normally just a different colorway of an existing shoe, but in some cases can also be a whole new shoe. There is not much more to it, really, just that it is requested directly. In some cases it may be part of a special marketing campaign (ie. one of those "exclusives" for Foot Locker you see), or might just be a product to better serve a particular niche covered by the market demographics, location, etc. (ie. maybe some country/market sells more brown colored shoes, but there are none in the main collection).

Stitch and Turn (seam)
A seam which is stitched to join two parts then flipped inside out so the stitch is hidden.

Toe Cap
Upper part on the toe, usually and overlay.

Tongue
Part which covers the top of the foot. Usually a separate component stitched inside the shoe at the bottom of the throat.

TPU
Thermoplastic PolyUrethane. Synthetic (plastic) material usually used for molded details and components on a shoe such as a molded eyestay, logo, counter reinforcement or waist stabilizer.

Tricot (a brand name, used to refer to a material, also Cambrelle)
Upper lining material, usually used on running shoes that is made from a sandwich of mesh type fabric, that allows a lightweight, breathable construction.

Turf
Refers to football/soccer boots/outsoles designed for very hard/round natural surfaces like dirt or turf and also synthetic grass surfaces.

Underlay
A part of a shoe upper that is under another part.

Upper
The part of a shoe created around the last.

Vamp
Area of the shoe/last on the front/top.

hummel football 2007 NEW preview > 4.2 Concept FGX/SG

New for 2007, the hummel 4.2 Concept FGC/SG features an exciting new material > Pittards WR100X Analine Goat Skin.

The military use this leather for the very thin, but high performance gloves worn by the Special Forces who jump out of helicopters and slide down ropes to action. In these high wear circumstances, gloves are required that will give good water and sweat resistance, but also excellent touch and softness feeling like a second skin. It is also very important that these special gloves prevent rope burn and wear.

Click the Read More link below for more pics and info.





In our new football boots, these combination of unique features (softness, touch, weather and sweat resistance and high abrasion resistance (20% more than K-leather), make it the perfect material for premium control and performance.This uniquely finished natural aniline offers up to 5 times higher breathability than standard Kangaroo Leather with no sacrifice in water or sweat resistance.

In addition, as it is a very lightweight leather with a unique fibre structure, the resulting boot is 22% lighter than the copa and comparable classic leather boots.

Unlike reguar-finish leathers, this Analine leather needs no "break-in" period. It is super soft fresh from the box, and will only improve and mold to your feet with wear. As well, because of the Analine finish, the surface of the leather has a more dull, natural similar to some baseball batting gloves or driving gloves.





The 4.2 Concept features a classic round FGC outsole, or soft ground SG outsole, and a great mix of classic style with modern technical advantages included a glass reinforced heel counter, and asymmetrical design.

Dk. Grey/White/Gold

To be released Jan 2007

sneak peak, hummel football 2007 collection

OK all,

Here's the exclusive first news of the hummel 2007 Football collection, to be released Jan 2007.

The 2007 collection (as was 2006) is focused on 3 top models, for different kinds of players. Rather than based only on position, or features (ie. lightweight, etc.) it is based on personality and "Character", and all offer a wide variety of exciting technical and performance features. More on these characters to come (or feel free to dig up some of the posts I made last year about the concept).

The 3 (top) models are...

(More info after the Read More Link below)

R

4.2 Concept FG/SG
For 2007 this boot features a new type of military-spec Goat Skin Leather which makes the boot 22% lighter than the Copa, and 5 times more breathable. Ultimate natural touch and softness, and feel.

6.2 Concept FG
Fully synthetic boot as per 2006 with new colorway for 2007.

8.4 Concept FGX
This boot is 100% new (new last, design, outsole) and our biggest story.
Inspired, in part, by all those SP posts about trying to get the "perfect fit" with using all kinds of crazy methods (showers?!), and in part by the personalized service we offer professionals, this boot features a true user customized fit.

Using a special sockliner technology that can be custom molded to fit your foot using heat, and a new wide last, this boot is perhaps the best fitting, most comfortable boot on the market.

Additional features include super soft and abrasion resistant Goat Skin Leather, glass fibre reinforced heel coutner, fully customizable lacing system and an all new hybrid traction/classic stud outsole.


Additionally, based on the success of last year's limited edition (6.2 Concept FG Pony, 1923 pairs worldwide), there will be two new ultimate special edition boots.

Stay tuned for more info and pics coming up!

Cheers,

football boot production > final QC and packing

Final QC (Quality Control) and and packing are the last steps in production before a finished shoe is done in the shoe factory. Throughout the production process, there is constant checking by QC inspectors at the end of every step and during the process for specific manufacturing issues. This final QC inspection is a more general checkng of the shoe.

Click the Read More link below for more info and pics.





The QC inspectors on the coveyor line at the end of the process check to ensure the size is as marked inside, check to ensure that both right and left shoes match in color and also check for overall quality of finish (excess cement or dirt, loose threads, wrinkles, etc.). Any shoes found with problems at this stage are either sent back down the line to be fixed if possible (like small areas that need to be cleaned), or rejected completely, destroyed, and not packed with the order.



This step is also when the shoes are finally completely laced up.




After the final QC inspection, a set of workers add all the additional packing materials that are attached to the shoes. Hangtags, extra laces in small ziploc bags, etc.



From the end of the line, the shoes are put onto a conveyor that lifts them to an adjacent room, the Packing Room.



In the packing room, the inner cartons (shoe boxes) are put together, and the shoes are wrapped in tissue paper, and put into the shoe boxes. The correct stickers are also put on the shoe boxes that indicate the model, color and sizze of the shoe that is inside.



Lastly, the shoeboxes are stacked up temporarily, and then finally placed into larger cartons 10 or 12 pairs per box, all erady to be shipped to the final warehouse destination, the store, and then finally into the hands of the customer!







Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

football boot production > assembly

Sorry it has been a while since the last post. Time flys when deep in the heart of the development season, and i've been in Asia a total of 24 days during the last month and half!

In any case, heres the second to last in the Football Boot Production Series....Assembly.

Assebly is the final production process before packing and final inspection in the manufacturing of a football boot. In this step, the finished stitched/lasted upper is prepared and attached to the outsole. I know I say this for all steps, but this is as well a truely important step.

If the upper and outsole are incorrectly prepared or assembled, there can be big problem of delamination (when the outsole breaks away from the outsole) during the agressive wear that a football boot encoutners on the pitch.

More info and pics after the Read More link below.




The first step in assembly is to prepare the outsole. A special primer and cement is applied to the TPU outsole by hand. The worker must ensure that all areas are correctly covered with the right amount of cement in an even coating.



The special primer/cement is cured by UV lights to activate the glue.




Meanwhile, the lasted upper is buffed using a small electric hand sanding type wheel, to rough the leather around on the bottom to better help allow it to be cemented to the outsole. The buffing ensures that the fibres of the leather are open and the cement penetrates enough to get good bonding.



The lasted upper is then attached to the outsole. This must be done very carefully to ensure the outsole is put on straight and inline with the upper. The toe is first attached, then the heel, the the center area is presseed into place by hand.



The cemented upper and outsole are then pressed together using a hydraulic press which applies a constant pressure for a contant time to get good bonding between the upper and outsole. To ensure even pressure is applied to the main outsole bootom, a special silicone molded form is placed under the upper (you can see it is a tan color) which has a negative shape of the outsole mold into it. Without this press pad, the pressing machine would only apply pressure to the stud tips which would warp the studs and not provie any pressure to the main outsole bottom which must bond to the upper bottom.



the final step is the insertion of the metal rivets in the outsole bottom. For this a rivet machine is used which is loaded like a machine gun with multiple rounds of rivets, and then activated by the operator with a foot pedal when the outsole is in place. The metal rivets go through the TPU outsole and lasting board to provide additional bonding strength to hold the outsole on.



Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

football boot production > lasting

One of the most important steps in footwear production, is lasting. This process gives a shoe its shape, and as mentioned before, the last is key in good fit and comfort.

This is even more important in a football boot where touch and fit and very important to performance.

More info and pics after the Read More link below.





The lasting process comes after the full upper is stiched together. At this point, the upper is prelaced before lasting. For the majority of football boots, the lasting process used is a type called "board" or "cement" lasting. This type of lasting gives a football boot more stiffness and better feel. Other types of lasting (mostly used for running type shoes) include strobel (slip) lasting and california lasting.





For board lasting, a cardboard type tuck board is placed at the bottom of the last that the upper will be cemented to. If you lift up the sockliner liner of a football boot or other type of boot made this way, you will see this board.

For board lasting, the upper is placed over the last with the cardboard insole board temporarily glued to the bottom of the last, and into a lasting machine. You can see the workers adding glue to the inside of the the upper and to the cardboard insole (laying over the upper on the conveyor) in the above pic.

A toe lasting machine has grips that grip the edge of the upper in the toe around the bottom of the last and pull it down over the last shape. One set up with the grips attached to the upper material, the lasting machine operator adjusts the tension of the pull and lines up the upper on the last using a laser guide.



When the operator has achieved the correct alignment and pull strength, the upper is stretched over the last and "wipers" force the upper material under the last over the cardboard part. In addition sometimes injected TPU type glue is used for football shoes that is directly injected between the upper and insole board during the lasting process. This is important for football shoes that have a lot of wear and tear in the toe area. This process is then repeated for the heel area.



The sides of the upper are usually lasted by hand. In this way, a lasting worked uses a pair of plyers and a hammer to pull the upper material near the waist (arch) of the shoe tight, and hammer them flat to the cardboard insole board. Lasting this area by hand is good so that the operator can make small manual adjustments to how much is the upper is pulled to create a good fit tight on the last. As leather materials are often used for fotoball shoes that have some variability in the amount of stretch this manual lasting can compensate unlike a machine lasting procedure that pulls the same amount every time.





Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

Inside a football boot

There's been some interest lately on the construction of football boots. Now, you can see what's on the inside!

Check the Read More link below for more pics and info.



There is almost more that goes into a football boot on the inside than is visible on the outside. One of the most important things to assure good fit, comfort and performance (aside from the last) is the inner reinforcement and construction.



A properly constructed shoe, will hold its shape well, and be optimized to work with the material of the upper.



Although each style, or brand may be constructed slightly differently depending on materials, price and manufacturing method, most boots in general have the same 4 main components; upper material, foam, reinforcement, and foam.



Each material inside serves a different purpose. The upper material, as discussed earlier, here gives the overall touch, comfort and feeling of a boot.



The foam also adds some touch and feeling making the surface more soft and responsive. The non-woven material is used to help control the stretch of the upper material (all natural materials will have soem stretch because of the natrual grain structure), and the lining material also works in this way.

Football boot production > stitching

Of course no boot or shoe could be made (at least not yet) without stitching. During this phase of production, the various upper materials already prepared (printed, embossed, embroidered, etc.) come together in what is called a stitching line (a production line with stitching workers doing different parts/components), to tranform flat, single pieces into an (almost) whole shoe.

Click the Read More link below for more information.




During typical production, uppers are stitched and warehoused until ready for assembly. At the factory we use for our top boots however, a special production method, Lean Production, is used. In this type of production, similar to a JIT (Just In Time) production method, each step of production (cutting, stitching, lasting, assembly, etc.) is only completed when needed, usually on the same day. Thsi way, no unfinised goods are warehoused, making production time more efficient, consistent and better controlling quality.



This Lean Production, while it does have very many advantages, is also very difficult logistically to control, so it is usually only found in better, high quality factories. For complete Lean Production, all aspects from material suppliers to contracted printers, etc. must be very tighly coordinated to ensure everything is done at the right time.



In the stitching line, a number of workers will put the upper of the shoe together one part at a a time. Like a typical production line for cars, each person does just one part or task, to increase efficiency. One person may stitch the tongue together, another person will stitch the collar lining in, etc.



To help guide the stitching workers, lines are printed on the upper (as shown in the Cutting/Prep part of this series) to follow. Sometimes these lines are printed in a special ink that glows in UV lighting, as shown here.



Here you can see a worker using a hammer to hammer a reverse seam flat. When two parts are stitched together with the extra material on the inside, there is some bulk of this material. Hammering (either by hand or with a machine) helps flatted this bulk to avoid rubbing inside the shoe.






Here you can see an upper that is almost finished stitching. It is inside-out on the sewing machine, to stitch some of the last details in place. When almost complete the upper is a 3D shape, and open on the bottom, where the lasting/insole board will go.



After the uppers are completed, they are checked by QC, numbered and put into baskets to go upstairs to the next phase of production, lasting.





Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

football boot production > printing and HF embossing

The details are everything in design, and footwear design and football boots are no different. Many football shoes, have decorative details, that are screen printed on the upper, or embossed parts and logos. These printing and embossing details are usually done in the shoe factory in special printing areas.

Click Read More below for more info and pics about the process.







Contrary to popular belief, almost all decorative printing on footwear is done "by hand". What this means, is that each piece is silk screened one at a time, by a worker working on a long printing table.



The parts to be printed are temporarily pasted to the table, and the worker goes down the line of parts, screening one at a time with a silk screen using one ink color and a wiper to wipe the ink through the screen.



Typically, for good results, each color is silk screened several times to get good coverage and a nice thick ink effect.





Sometimes, special inks are used, like this 3M reflective ink that very small glass particles in it that create the reflective effect.



Another decorative effect used very often on footwear is HF (high frequency) emboss. An emboss effect is a raised effect and depending on the process can raise details or parts anywhere from 1mm to as much as 6mm if as special backing is used.



The HF emboss technique, uses high frequency radio waves and pressure to push a material into the embossed shape against a metal die. Unlike traditional embossing, the HF technique uses less heat and pressure and a more localized application of the energy.



Here you can see the HF emboss machine and the operator embossing one part at a time.



Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

football boot production > cutting

The next step in production is cutting and preparation.

In this stage, the selected materials are taken from the material warehouse, and brought to the cutting room or area. Cutting dies are used, which are metal cookies cutter like dies, used with a large stamping machine that puts puses down the die onto the material.

More info and pics after the Ream More link below




See cutting machine pics above. Depending on the material, these cutting dies and machines can cut through more than layer of material at a time. For materials like collar lining foams, reinforcements, and synthetics, they typically cut 3-5 layers of material at once. For leathers, because they stretch and the materials is very costly if wasted, the operators cut one layer at a time. The boards on the cutting machines are layered in a thick wax block, to keep the dies sharp and ensure good, clean cuts every time.



As mentioned earlier, care is taken throught the cutting process to minimize waste and nest the part layout to maximize material use. In some cases, this layout of how the cut parts should be taken from a piece of material, is planned by a special computer program. Different materials also have different concerns and waste in cutting. For example, because of the nature of the skin and animal, Goat Skin Leather has a much lower loss rate than Kangaroo leather (and the raw skin is also bigger). This not only affects the cost of a material on a boot, but also effects the result of final product.





During cutting, especially of leather, becuase the natural material may vary in grain texture and color, small stickers are put on the cut parts, to ensure that the part for the left and right shoe in one pair come from the same material for best consistency.



After cuttting, parts may be screen printed with stitching guidelines as shown above with special inks that will disappear or be only visible in UV light, to help stitching workers follow the necessary stitching lines on a pattern. This is especially important for decoration stitching that must be in certain pattern like the vamp stitching on the vamp of the 4.2 Concept as shown above.





It is also during this step, that the edges of materials (both leather and synthetic) are made thinner to have a better looking seams and avoid unsightly bulges. This process is called skiving. This is done as shown above with a special machine that will cut the thickness of the leather down using a special spining blade. Skiving may typically reduce leather material thickness from something like 1.2mm to 0.5mm





Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

Football boot production > materials

In any shoe, the upper materials are one of the most important (and expensive) components. For football boots, the upper materials are even more important as good materials can make the difference between good and bad touch, comfort, performance, and fit.

More pics and info after the Read More link below.





The new hummel 2006 football boots use a variety of natural and man made materials for ultimate performance and quality. One of the key materials, as used in the 4.2 Concept and 8.2 Concept is Pittards WR Premiership Goat Skin leather.

Since last year, hummel and Pittards have been working very closely together to develop this new, exciting material. As the first brand worldwide to use this material in football, much of the development and specifics of the product was created and tested to specifications set by hummel and Pittards together.



High abrasion resistance
Resists wear and tear

Permanent water resistance
Ensures lightweight comfort in wet conditions

Enhanced Grip
Water resistance enhances grip and touch in all conditions

Optimum softness
Engineered leather remains naturally soft to the touch in use

Excellent sweat resistance
Prevents material breakdown keeping leather soft and supple

Unique breathability
Maximum breathability ensures comfort and performance



Compared to Kangaroo and Bovine (cow) leather, Goat Skin has a unique fiber structure that gives it natural superior abrasion resistance and breathability.

This natural abrasion resistance is further enhanced by a special combination of high performance polymers, silicones and waxes, Pittards eNamelFlex. Applied by process technology this treatment ensures high strength, flex and abrasion properties.



Pittards WR Premiership also uses a special weather reistant application; WR100X. The WR100X tanning process has been specially engineered to offer improved water resistance properties, which keep your hummel footwear protected at all times. Although water uptake is limited, WR100X leather is still breathable and will allow perspiration and air to pass through the fiber structure, keeping the foot cool and comfortable.

Ordinary leathers take over 24 hours to dry and are usually hard and prone to cracking. WR100 leather dries in around 6 hours, and is as soft and supple as on the first wearing.



Before production, the factory will calculate the required material consumption of each part, including "loss" (the small bits left over when the needed shapes are cut out). This requirement is then used byt the factory to order production materials based on production orders placed to the factory.

For one style, a number of different materials and suppliers will need to be used. Leather, mesh, laces, lining, foams, reinforcements, etc, each in the required color and quanitity are purchased individually by a material purchasing department.

Once the materials arrive at factory, they are kept in a material warehouse, tagged for each order, and inspected.

In the case of upper leathers, such as Pittards WR Premiership, which are by the far the most expensive part of a football boot (more than 50% of the total cost of the boot), each individual skin is checked and any faults identified (all natural materials will have some faults), colors inspected (as any natural material may vary slightly), and approved for use.

The raw leather is then layed out and marked by hand for the next step, cutting. In the pics above, you can see the pattern for the vamp area of the 4.2 Concept pattern parts are layed out to maximize material use for the 4.2 Concept FGC.



Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

Football boot production > intro

In this series, I will be reviewing and presenting pics and information about the production process of a football boot. Following the complete production process, from material preparation to final packing.

More info and pics after the Read More link below.



Following the design and development of the new hummel 2006 football boots, including the 4.2 Concept FGC above, the next part of the product lifecycle is production.

For me, this is always the most interesting and satisfying part. After working hard on development for perhaps 8 months, solving problems, changing materials, modifying patterns, fixing technical features and more, once in production the football boots can live on their own.



In addition, I will always find seeing an entire factory, perhaps 2000 workers from stitching to lasting to printing, working on my product or design is amazing. Just the amount of work and involvement to make one shoe is absolutely incredible.



This series will include pictures, description and a bit of technical notes of each part of production process.

While the manufacturing production process might vary depending on the design of the shoe (ie. if it is a football boot or running shoe), and the specifics of each step in the process may be done in a slightly different way from factory to factory, the general process and steps involved is the same.

The process I will be showing follows the production of the hummel 4.2 Concept FGC football boot, produced in China.

Produced a very high quality factory, also used by several other major sports company, this factory uses a special production process and factory arrangement called Lean production. In this type of production, while the specific steps are the same as in any other factory, the layout and arrangement of the production lines is such that a boot will go from the start to the end in one day, in one complete flow. The way most typical factories are arranged, the production process is less linear, and partially finished shoes may be warehoused before being completed, then later taken back into the production line at a different stage.

The advantage of Lean production is that there is more control of the production, less waste, no warehousing of unfinished goods, and slightly faster production. It is however more difficult, since all parts of the shoe (upper, mateirals, outsoles, laces, etc.) must be effeciently ordered and managed to come into the factory at the right time, since production cannot continue if any part is missing and there is no warehousing.

This factory, medium sized production facility has 6 production lines. Typically, depending on construction, each line will produce about 2500 pairs of shoes per day.



Materials

Cutting

Printing and HF embossing

Stitching

Lasting

Assembly

final QC and packing

heel counters

Internal premolded heel counter fit to the last.

Over on the Soccerpulse forums there has been some questions about internal and external heel counters used in soccer shoes (and also other athletic shoes). here is some more info and pics.

More pics and info after the Read More link below.


1. all shoes do have a heel counter or counter reinforcement. The good, hard ones, us a plastic, TR (thermoplastic resin) or nylon material premolded to fit the heel of last. As you point out not all reinforcements are equal however. The onesyou mention that can "push in" have a cheaper and less stiff reinforcement- usually a type of "chemisheet". This is like a paper with a chemical in it that hardens when activated bny either heat or another chemical.

The important thing about a heel coutner is that it fits the heel of the last. The purpose of heel counter is to provide support and ensure good fit.

2. An external heel counter as Romeo mentioned does the same thing, but is on the outside of the heel. Usually it is a TPU material.







Internal heel counter



External heel counter

>

the last is first

I've started with the definition of pullover to explain the naming of this blog. To further outline some of the terms and definitions I will be using in future posts, these next few posts will cover some of the basic terminology and concepts used in footwear design and development.

A last is an (usually) generalized anatomical representation of the human foot shape. Created from a data set and functional requirements specific to a sport (ie. soccer, running, etc.) or desired look (rounded, narrow, pointy), or athlete (in custom made footwear), a master last is created from which production copies can be made.

Production lasts are made from either turned (on a machine lathe) plastic, or sandcast aluminum. The last is the starting point for any footwear development and is very important in determining, the look, fit, comfort and performance of a shoe.

BTW- If anyone else out there has further information or corrections to my posts, please let me know. Also, I will try not to get into too much technical detail on these concepts, but if anyone is interested, feel free to email me with questions or comments. Thanks. R