Adidas speedfactories in Germany and the US to cease operations

Adidas says goodbye to restoring. The German sportswear company will cease shoe manufacture in its speedfactories in Germany and the United States before April 2020. Starting at the end of this year, Adidas will use its speedfactory technologies to produce athletic footwear at two of its suppliers in Asia. 

The company expects this to result in better utilization of existing production capacity and more flexibility in product design. Adidas consumers will benefit as the combination of existing technical possibilities of the suppliers, and new production methods developed in Ansbach and Atlanta, will allow for more variations of speedfactory footwear models in the future.

Martin Shankland, Adidas head of global operations, said the factories had helped the company improve its expertise in innovative manufacturing, but applying what it had learnt with its suppliers would be “more flexible and economic”.

Speedfactories in Germany and the United States have helped the company improve its expertise in innovative manufacturing, which now will be adopted by Asian suppliers

Asian suppliers will use the techniques to make a broader range of products with a short production time, not just running shoes, while Adidas will keep testing manufacturing processes at its so-called adiLab site in Scheinfeld in Germany.

Adidas will continue its collaboration with Oechsler, the German operator of both Speedfactories, in other manufacturing areas such as the production of soles for shoes using Boost technology, soles for football shoes and 4D-printed soles.