First Automated Footwear Factory Opens in France
Exactly one year after setting its first stone, and despite the sanitary challenges faced over the past year, the Advanced Shoe Factory 4.0 (ASF 4.0) is set to open its first automated production unit for sports footwear in Ardoix (07) in the heart the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The factory is controlled by Chamatex Group, a specialist in technical textile. Salomon, Babolat, and Millet are partners and shareowners in ASF 4.0, all brands located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, less than 200 kilometers from their headquarters. Available for purchase in Spring 2022, the Salomon Captiv ASF 4.0 hiking shoe will be one of the first shoes off the production line at the new ASF 4.0 factory.
“Salomon has always pushed the limits of innovation in terms of product functionality but also from an industrialization and operational processes standpoint. ASF 4.0 demonstrates our commitment to continue to be at the forefront of the footwear industry transformation ”
Jean-Marc Pambet
Former Salomon CEO
The many benefits of localized footwear production here in France are:
- Greater manufacturing efficiency thanks to a short-circuit organization of production and logistics, allowing brands to benefit from optimal responsiveness on the European market
- More flexibility thanks to the increased capacity to test new products in limited quantities
- Increased ability to compete globally by using robotic assembly lines
- Localized production is more sustainable, which minimizes the carbon footprint
- Creation of 50 qualified jobs in the next three years, with positions ranging from skilled operators to engineers and programmers
The factory will answer these challenges, by using digital technologies and by mastering new assembly processes for sports footwear.
“We are using ultra-innovative means of production compared to what is normally used in the footwear industry, which still relies heavily on hand-made efforts. Several of our machines were actually patented. ”
Lucie Andre
Operational Director for ASF 4.0.
The site stretches out over more than 2,000 square meters and represents a global investment of €10 million.
Approximately 20 people are already working at ASF 4.0 to produce 15,000 pairs of shoes by the end of 2021. Looking forward, the prototyping and production capacity of the factory will allow it to develop and assemble 500,000 pairs of shoes every year, generating €10–€15 million in revenue annually.
ASF 4.0 would not have been born without MATRYX technology—a patented fabric developed by Chamatex in partnership with the Zebra Group and Babolat—which makes sports footwear production automation easier, the expertise of Siemens in the 4.0 industry and Salomon’s know-how in terms of sports shoes conception.
After Salomon’s ASF 4.0 footwear launches in early 2022, the other brands partnered with the project—Babolat and Millet—will launch their own footwear models in 2023.
The factory’s current order book is full for the next three years, requiring that partners reserve three years ahead.
Therefore, an extension of the ASF 4.0 is already being considered.
While you wait for the Captiv to come out, check out more Hiking footwear here.