By Antoine Dufay
The battle of innovation is raging among the major sports equipment manufacturers. On the front of the scene, Nike has innovated a lot in recent years both in terms of communication and product release.
In response to its eternal rival, Adidas has decided to hit hard on the marketing and innovation aspects (technologies and processes).
But Adidas has decided to hit hard in response to the competition. The brand is working on new models, technologies and processes... and communicating on them. It has launched its Tubular and 4D models and promises new products for the next seasons. And for the updated models like the Stan Smith or Superstar, the brand offers new treatments and customization options.
This is one of the brand's key areas of focus. The brand has just announced an agreement with Manz, the industrial engineering specialist, to set up a Speedfactory, an automated factory for its shoe production to deliver products quickly and with customization to customers in rich countries.
Adidas is also communicating its ambitions for 3D printing technology, particularly to produce high-performance soles. This innovation is based on open source development. Even more than high performance, this technology can bring a new customer experience.
For example, a customer can now go to a store, take a few steps on a treadmill and leave with a pair of 3D printed running shoes.
During the health crisis and especially in 2020, Adidas did not use its 3D technology only to produce shoes. Indeed, the brand with the 3 stripes has manufactured protective visors for health care workers. The group has been making about 18,000 of these a week.
Let's get back to the main topic of this article, which is innovation at Adidas.
The group has developed its own incubator, called Futurecraft, to deal with innovation. Many projects are mentioned, such as Adidas 4D or Loop.
The latest, Strung, combines technology, performance and ecology: it is a textile innovation that rethinks the way to create shoes: increase performance while limiting the materials used.
The good news is that the first prototypes should arrive in early 2022!
No doubt that with this busy schedule and these many innovations, the competitors of the brand should not delay to replicate.
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