Promoted by INESC Porto – Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto, the project included eight national partners and its aim was to develop new product concepts, such as the manufacturing of environment friendly shoes with more comfortable materials.
After the presentation of the project and its results, it was clear that there are new product concepts succeeding within footwear companies and it is now possible to put more comfortable and environment friendly shoes on the market, using more versatile and efficient manufacturing and management systems and processes which can lead, among other things, to new business models and to the management of a supply chain that will improve the development and the manufacturing of shoes in Europe.
The project was supported by ERDF, by the Agência de Inovação and by the 6th R&D Framework Programme from the European Commission.
Kyaia, the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado (Footwear Technological Centre) and INESC Porto were extremely satisfied with the project’s success and with what this project represents for the study and research of new concepts.
The bio shoe is an environment friendly shoe, an advanced design that uses biodegradable products; the active shoe is expected to fulfil the consumer’s aesthetic expectations and its most positive aspects are protection and safety, hygiene and comfort.
The third axle of the new footwear was developed as a model that reduces seams to their most. This is the so-called seamless that will reduce manufacturing times and this demands more technologically advanced equipment.
Kyaia and the Centro Tecnológico do Calçado were the mentors behind this shoe model where the number of seams is reduced through an advanced software that enables over 15% daily shoe pairs to be manufactured with the same operators in less than 45% of the time. The use of laser engraving in order to simulate the seams and to include decorative motifs and the use of laser welding are some of the main innovations for shoe manufacturing in the future.
Expresso do Ave, 31 July 2008
12th August 2008
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