Adidas has announced that a state-of-the-art Adidas Speedfactory automated manufacturing site is set to open in Atlanta next year.
The “first-of-its-kind” US factory, which employs robot cobblers, according to TechCrunch, will enable the company to create products in higher volumes, and with advanced complexity. So customers can expect more colors, materials, and sizes to start hitting shelves next year.
Once it is fully functional in the second half of 2017, the 74,000-square-foot Atlanta site will create some 160 human jobs, alongside cutting-edge technology. Adidas plans to kickstart production with 50,000 pairs of shoes before the year ends.
Adidas is shaking things up after “playing by the same rules” and manufacturing footwear remotely in Asia for a long time, according to Eric Liedtke, executive board member in charge of global brands.
“We are obsessed with bringing all steps of the creation process home to America,” Liedtke said in a statement. “We’re fueling design at the ground level of creativity in Brooklyn and reinventing manufacturing with the first Adidas Speedfactory in Atlanta. This allows us to make product for the consumer, with the consumer, where the consumer lives in real time, unleashing unparalleled creativity and endless opportunities for customization in America.”
The US plant complements the first Speedfactory in Germany; both facilities are operated by Adidas partner Oechsler.
