Adidas steps up Speedfactory manufacturing programme

Herzogenaurach, Germany – Adidas has ramped up its Speedfactory project with the launch of the first in a series of individually designed and manufactured running shoes for six major world cities.

The London launch of the adidas Made For London, on 4 Oct, marked the first product to be created at the company’s Speedfactory facility in Ansbach, Germany, said an Adidas press release.

In the coming months, it said, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai will also have bespoke products, created using input from locally based consumers, particularly athletes.

Speedfactory facilities use highly automated manufacturing processes to rapidly produce new customised products in response to fast-changing consumer trends.

The German unit is now fully operational and will soon be joined by a US facility in Atlanta. Both units are to support production of AM4 footwear for all markets, but will mainly focus on localised production.

As previously reported by ERJ, the Atlanta factory will span over the 74,000 square feet and and create around 160 jobs. Both it and the German unit are being operated by Adidas’ strategic partner Oechsler, the company has stated.

Adidas also plans to establish SpeedFactory plants in other global region over the coming years.

The AM4 project, it added, will be “a constant BETA mode, with insights taken from consumers following each product launch used to shape future designs.”

“The Speedfactory story is bigger than one product,” said Paul Gaudio, global creative director at Adidas. “AM4 represents the future of manufacturing that will see product[s] created at greater speed, precision and personalisation.”