Adidas will launch a robot-powered factory in Germany

As of 2017, Adidas will be producing footwear in a robot-powered German factory, named SPEEDFACTORY.

Adidas closed almost all of its German factory in the '90s, but the SPEEDFACTORY facility will begin large-scale production next year with a view to expand the concept into the US.

This news ushers in a new era for the company's products. The flexible model challenges the idea of centralised production, and allows the creation of products completely unique to the specific needs of the consumer through a combination of cobbling craft and cutting-edge technology.

Herbet Hainer, CEO of Adidas, said: “As a sports company we know that Speed wins. That’s why we defined Speed as one of the key choices of our strategic business plan ‘Creating the New’. With the adidas SPEEDFACTORY we are revolutionising the industry. It’s a constantly changing world out there and our consumers always want the latest and newest product – and they want it now. That’s what adidas SPEEDFACTORY delivers, starting right here in Germany, with best-in-class German technology. 

“Every day our teams come together to bring speed to life, and with the adidas SPEEDFACTORY, we have a game changer in our hands. It enables us to combine speed in manufacturing with the flexibility to rethink conventional processes. Our goal is to give consumers what they want when they want it,” said Glenn Bennett, Executive Board Member of the Adidas Group responsible for Global Operations. “It’s a new era in footwear crafting – with greater precision, unique design opportunities and high-performance. Products of tomorrow are going to look different to what we have today.”

The pilot adidas SPEEDFACTORY in Ansbach was set up in December 2015 to provide a testing ground for this trailblazing model. The first pairs of high-performance footwear to come out of the Adidas SPEEDFACTORY will be revealed later this year.

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