New 3D Bonding Technology to Be Used in Footwear Manufacturing

Simplicity Works has forged a partnership between Huntsman Polyurethanes and DESMA to bring to life a project with the potential to shake up the footwear sector. A shoe material produced by Huntsman Polyurethanes sits at the center of an innovative method of footwear production with the potential to transform global shoemaking. The Spanish company Simplicity Works, which has engineered the biggest change in shoemaking over 40 years, has together with Huntsman Polyurethanes and DESMA developed a revolutionary new shoe production method that opens up entirely new possibilities for manufacturers aiming to produce goods closer to customers in Europe and North America. The three companies collaborating have developed a highly automated and cost-effective method of creating a seamless three-dimensional shoe upper by bonding two-dimensional pieces in a single pass. The fabric shoe binds all parts of the footwear requiring no stitching and no fabric simultaneously, in a matter of seconds. This new technology, which is faster and cheaper than traditional shoemaking techniques, can be customized to requirements and has already begun to be adopted by a number of major footwear brands, helping to bring the overhead costs of local production to the same level as countries with low labor costs.