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Innovation in manufacturing: first 'speed factory' opens in Germany

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 09:51:37 GMT

Sporting giant Adidas has launched a new concept that looks at individualisation rather than standardisation. Regina Henkel analyses the idea that aims to revolutionise production in the coming years.

Adidas has announced the establishment of its first 'Speed Factory'. The purpose: Adidas intends to revolutionise production in the coming years, and be even closer to customer's needs at the same time. It was not until this summer that Adidas announced the plan to develop Speed Factories to take shoe production to a new level. Only a few months later, the first plant was built. It was erected at the Oechsler AG in Ansbach, Germany, not far away from the Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach. It is expected to produce 500 pairs of running shoes in the next few months. Commercial mass production should start in the near future, the company said.

Flexible, highly automated, decentralised production
The highly innovative concept of the Speed Factory is based on the idea of Industry 4.0, which many experts consider to be the production method of the future. The aim is to combine the latest digital technology with the automation possibilities of big data and new production methods. Until now, the manufacture of shoes and clothing was a hand labour-intensive industry; that's why it has been outsourced to low-wage countries. Only with the new possibilities of a highly efficient and automated production, that production sites in Germany and elsewhere in Europe are conceivable again. So, instead of continuing to outsource production to low-wage countries and accept the expensive transportation to consumers, Adidas wants to work in the future with smaller, decentralised and highly automated production facilities right where the consumer is located. The goal is a whole network of new sites that use intelligent robot technology will exchange data with each other.

In addition, Adidas will gain much more flexibility to better meet regional needs and be able to respond even to individual customer requirements. "Individualisation rather than standardisation" is the idea of Adidas. The consumer has to become part of the brand and can interact directly with in-store customisation, co-creation and interactive brand experiences...

The Ageless Art of Ajrakh Printing

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 14:05:46 GMT

The block-printing style called 'ajrakh' is a legacy of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Renu Gupta writes about a craft that is now seeing resurgence. Ajrakh is an ancient block-printing method on textiles that originated in the presentday provinces of Sindh in Pakistan and the neighbouring Indian districts of Kutch in Gujarat and Barmer in Rajasthan. The word 'ajrakh' itself connotes a number of different concepts.

Germany: The year in retrospect

Thu, 04 Feb 2016 16:29:57 GMT

The bankruptcy of Karstadt, the end of Bread & Butter, and the entry of Chinese companies were some major headlines that dominated in Germany, writes Regina Henkel.

Both a plethora of problems and a number of new developments made the fashion headlines in 2015. The exhibition landscape changed significantly, and retail continues to be challenged by the ever-growing relevance of e-commerce. And while classical retail is trying to stabilise its business, online giants are battling against each other.

The bankruptcies
Almost a permanent fixture in the headlines was department store group Karstadt. The bankruptcy of the Arcandor mother company, which itself went insolvent six years ago, will still take "many years" to find its footing again, the liquidator said in November, according to the German Press Agency. The reasons were mainly litigations, including those against numerous former managers of the group, like former top executive Thomas Middelhoff. In all, 37,500 creditors are asking for €1.2 billion, according to the report of the liquidator. At the same time, reports of real estate sales of Karstadt stores have been coming in.

Another bankruptcy that affected the fashion industry was the end of Bread & Butter. In December 2014, the bankruptcy sounded like a drumbeat through the denim and sportswear industry. Although the show reported repeatedly about lower exhibitor and visitor numbers, the daring plans of CEO Karl-Heinz Muller polarised the denim community, and the end of the show came for many quite abruptly. But even more surprising was the news of the takeover of the fair by the Berlin e-commerce giant Zalando. His idea: Bread & Butter should continue to take place on the grounds of Tempelhof Airport in Berlin-but no more as a fair, but as a fashion event for consumers. The premiere of the new concept-that Muller had wanted to realise earlier, but had failed due to the resistance from brands-has been scheduled for January 2016. But in December, the Berlin Senate decided that the Tempelhof Field and the halls of the former airport would be used as refugee shelters until the end of 2019...

Japanese and post-apocalyptic influenced fashion design: Konnichiwa

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 14:52:28 GMT

Wearable art is a new art form introduced with the invention of the sewing machine and its practitioners interpreting fashion the way they think it should be. Vince Quevedo discusses about Japanese influences in fashion and the techniques of creating wearable art. Results of these experiments were quite successful, giving women one way to express themselves.

Future of Fashion

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 17:23:15 GMT

The fashion industry with its ever changing trends has had a big role to play in polluting the environment. But with growing awareness among the consumers, many apparel manufacturers have switched to employing eco-friendly methods of production. Saumya Chaturvedi discusses about the sustainable technologies and processes being used in the industry to make fashion green.