These days, the Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted has been very interested in studying 3D printing. His vision is for the company to produce shoes with customizable insoles specifically for consumers’ feet using the layering technology. By the end of the year, Adidas will have produced 5,000 custom made Adidas sneakers and projected over 100,000 in 2018. Once they master production offsite, they will bring it right to local stores who have 3D printers. Rorsted expects that customers will be able to buy these made-to-measure sure directly from stores in three to five years. A personalized product is a breakthrough, and he assumes customers will pay significantly more. This is the company’s attempt to modernize production, and the in-store focus will help appease retailers around the world.
Aside from 3D printed shoes, one of Kasper’s priorities is company growth in the US. The US accounts for one-third of the global market for sporting goods and only makes up 20 percent of Adidas’ sales. But he was happy to show that Adidas’ US business grew strongly in the last two years. In fact, business across the whole North America grew 33 percent during the first three quarters of 2017. Despite the progress since the new CEO, Adidas’ US subsidiary is still struggling with profitability. The CEO still feels secure with the company’s broader base. Shoes are a growing area, and if the company can keep the momentum from this year’s strong start, 2018 may shoe Adidas to be a market leader. The 3D printed footwear will always continue to increase, and 3DShoes.com will continue to stick with it.
Original Article: https://global.handelsblatt.com/companies-markets/the-future-of-footwear-853612
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