Adidas announced that its Speedfactory in Atlanta will be fully operational by the end of next year, and as an added bonus, the factory will be run by bots. The 74,000 square feet shoe-making facility will include specially designed machines that build high-grade shoes for consumers. According to Adidas, the factory is expected to churn out 50,000 pairs of shoes per year, albeit only a small slice of its overall annual shoe shipments.
Essentially the company’s second Speedfactory, the first is located in Germany. The new factory will provide consumers with the ability to craft their own shoes according to their taste and at the same time, maintaining high volume output. Adidas believes customization and speed are the key factors that determine the position of a company in terms of customer satisfaction.
Despite the commitment to robot labor, Adidas says that the Atlanta project will create about 160 jobs for people overseeing the factory.
“Speed is far more than a business strategy for us,” said Adidas Group Executive Board Member Glenn Bennett, esponsible for Global Operations.
“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 U.S.-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.”
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