ABB Robots in Shoemaking, from DESMA to Local Cells

From 1944 sewing rooms to robot-made running shoes, see how 1,700 ABB robots in DESMA systems make footwear and how local shoe cells could come next.

INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS

Chat With Robot

9/24/20261 min read

In 1944 a shoe factory in the English Midlands made footwear for the Women's Royal Naval Service, and the wartime photos show rows of machinists sewing uppers together at their machines. There were plenty of machines in that room, but a person guided every seam and fed in every part.

Rows of women at sewing machines working on shoe parts in a 1940s factory
Rows of women at sewing machines working on shoe parts in a 1940s factory

Machinists sewing shoe uppers at a Midlands shoe factory making footwear for the Wrens, 1944. Photo: Ministry of Information / Imperial War Museums via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

At the next stations, workers ran machines that attached the uppers, fixed heels and trimmed edges. Shoemaking stayed labor-heavy for decades after that, which is why most of the world's shoes are still sewn and glued in big factories in Asia.

Man operating a shoe machine while a uniformed woman watches
Man operating a shoe machine while a uniformed woman watches

A shoemaker running a machine that attaches the upper, watched by a Wren, 1944. Photo: Ministry of Information / Imperial War Museums via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

This month, Simac Tanning Tech in Milan (September 15 to 17) put collaborative robots and AI-driven production on its program for footwear and leather makers. Earlier this year the Swiss brand On opened a 32-robot plant near Busan that sprays one-piece running shoe uppers in about three minutes each.

Work boot sliced lengthwise showing sole layers, lining and a steel toe cap
Work boot sliced lengthwise showing sole layers, lining and a steel toe cap

A work boot cut in half, showing the layers a shoe factory has to join. Photo: Best For My Feet / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

ABB has made shoes longer than most people would guess. Its partnership with German shoe-machine maker DESMA goes back to the 1980s, and by 1990, 70 ABB robots had been delivered for roughening, gluing and spraying release agents. More than 1,700 ABB robots now run in DESMA systems worldwide.

White ABB robot arms handling shoe uppers on lasts in a DESMA production cell
White ABB robot arms handling shoe uppers on lasts in a DESMA production cell

ABB robots in a DESMA direct soling system at Strauss's shoe factory. Photo: ABB

At Strauss's factory in Hessen, five ABB robots run a direct soling line that molds the sole straight onto the upper. Two IRB 1600s spray release agent and do laser-assisted roughening, while three IRB 2600s move parts and lay steel soles. The cell can go from a size 25 child's shoe to a size 43 safety shoe with no hardware change.

ABB single-arm YuMi robot at a work table next to a FlexPendant showing block code
ABB single-arm YuMi robot at a work table next to a FlexPendant showing block code

Programming a single-arm YuMi with ABB's Wizard software on the FlexPendant. Photo: ABB

DESMA's managing director says robotics is bringing shoemaking closer to the customer. I can picture a small local cell, set up with easy tools like ABB's Wizard software, making a custom pair while you wait, with a cobot such as GoFa doing the finishing next to the person who fits your shoes.

Woman guiding an ABB GoFa cobot arm by hand
Woman guiding an ABB GoFa cobot arm by hand

Lead-through teaching: moving an ABB GoFa arm by hand. Photo: ABB

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