Adidas will open a robotics-intensive, advanced manufacturing facility to make footwear in the Atlanta, US in 2017.
The “industry-defining, state-of-the-art facility” as the company describes it, called adidas SpeedFactory, will allow adidas to create product more quickly and closer to US consumers.
Adidas’ SpeedFactory concept features high levels of robotics and automation systems as well as advanced manufacturing technology, such as 3D printing.
Adidas Group executive board member Eric Liedtke, responsible for global brands, says: “For years our industry has been playing by the same rules manufacturing product remotely in Asia.
“As the creator brand that challenges convention and looks to co-create the future with our consumers, we are obsessed with bringing all steps of the creation process home to America. We’re fueling design at the ground level of creativity in Brooklyn and reinventing manufacturing with the first adidas SpeedFactory in Atlanta.
“This allows us to make product for the consumer, with the consumer, where the consumer lives in real time, unleashing unparalleled creativity and endless opportunities for customization in America.”
The first-of-its-kind business model advances adidas’ consumer-centric approach to product creation, allowing the brand to decentralize production and react faster to consumer needs. Equipped with cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, the US factory enables adidas to create products in increasingly high volumes with advanced complexity in color, materials and sizes.
adidas is opening the door for unprecedented customization of high-performance products with unique fit, comfort and look. The US facility allows adidas to source and produce locally, limiting long shipping distances and driving the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
Adidas Group executive board member Glenn Bennett, responsible for global operations, says: “Speed is far more than a business strategy for us.
“Speed is all around us. It’s what athletes train for, and it’s essential to our consumers who live in a world of immediacy. With the first US-based SpeedFactory, we’re combining some of the world’s best technology and manufacturing processes to give our consumers access to constant newness. This is another big step in our ambition to become the world’s first true fast sports brand.”
The more than 74,000-square-foot Atlanta factory will be fully functional in the back-half of 2017. With a focus on running footwear, adidas is targeting production of 50,000 pairs in 2017. In the mid-term, adidas aims to produce half a million pairs of shoes for running and other categories. The US SpeedFactory will create around 160 jobs.
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, says: “Georgia offers industry leaders such as adidas the necessary resources to compete worldwide.
“Our state is emerging as a sports corridor for Southeastern US, and our business-friendly climate will be a match for adidas’ new operation. We look forward to working with our partners in Cherokee County and at the Metro Atlanta Chamber to support adidas in future growth.”
The US factory complements adidas’ first SpeedFactory in Germany. The US and Germany facilities are operated by adidas’ strategic partner Oechsler.
