It was only a matter of time until robots were employed into the production sector — they already are in certain capacity. While many companies already use machines and computer-aided tools to build their products, none has actually made production 100 percent robotic. This is about to change soon as shoemaker Adidas announced today that its Speedfactory in Atlanta will be fully operational by the end of next year, and as an added bonus, the factory will be completely run by bots.
The shoe-making facility takes up 74,000 square feet of area, where specially designed machines will build high-grade shoes for you. According to the shoemaker, the factory is expected to churn out 50,000 Paris of shoes per year, which is only a small slice of its overall annual shoe shipments. This is essentially the company’s second Speedfactory– the first is located in Germany.
“Speed is far more than a business strategy for us,”said Adidas Group Executive Board Member Glenn Bennett, responsible for Global Operations.
“Speed is all around us. It’s what athletes train for, and it’s essential to our consumers who live in a world of immediacy. With the first U.S.-based SPEEDFACTORY, we’re combining some of the world’s best technology and manufacturing processes to give our consumers access to constant newness. This is another big step in our ambition to become the world’s first true fast sports brand.”
While the whole idea of a fully automated factory might seem a bit glum for a person in terms of employment, Adidas says that the Atlanta project will create about 160 jobs for people overseeing the factory. So, no losers on any end.
