footwear

US footwear manufacturers call for Trump to end new China tariffs

More than 200 footwear manufacturers in the US have sent President Donald Trump an open letter calling for an end to what they call the “catastrophic” and “unfathomable” new tariffs on Chinese imports.

The companies include global and household names such as Adidas, Cat, Converse, K-Swiss, Nike, Puma, Ugg, and Under Armour, among many others.

The letter was sent under the auspices of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, the leading industry association, representing a total of 500 companies and brands worldwide. [Read more…] about US footwear manufacturers call for Trump to end new China tariffs

SoftWear Automation raises another $4.5 million and pledges to help bring back manufacturing to the US

SoftWear Automation, an Atlanta-based robotic sewing firm, has received $4.5 million in financing from existing investor, CTW Venture Partners.

The company says funding will accelerate the company’s development of fully automated sewn good worklines specifically for apparel production in the United States.

Additionally, the company plans to add 20 employees to keep pace with growing customer demand. [Read more…] about SoftWear Automation raises another $4.5 million and pledges to help bring back manufacturing to the US

Nasa scientist behind Reebok’s new ‘Liquid Factory’

Sportswear giant reveals new technique – invented by a Nasa scientist – for 3D printing training shoes tailored to customers’ individual specifications

Reebok has unveiled something it calls “Liquid Factory”, which the company says will bring back sports shoe manufacturing back to the US.

Reebok calls its new factory idea a ground-breaking manufacturing innovation that could fundamentally change the process and speed of footwear creation.

Developed by the Reebok Future team, the Liquid Factory process uses state-of-the-art software and robotics to literally draw shoes in three dimensions. [Read more…] about Nasa scientist behind Reebok’s new ‘Liquid Factory’

Sewbots prepare to take millions of jobs off humans in clothes manufacturing sector

More and more companies in the textiles, clothing and footwear business are turning to advanced manufacturing technologies – robotic sewing machines and connected systems – to reduce the number of humans in their factories, along with the financial and social costs of employing them.

One of the largest apparel manufacturers in India, Raymond, which employs 30,000 human workers, says it plans to replace 10,000 of them with robots over the next three years. [Read more…] about Sewbots prepare to take millions of jobs off humans in clothes manufacturing sector