Role of Information Technology in

Footwear Industry
Importance of Information
Technology in Footwear …

1. Consumer Expectations
-Low cost, high quality
2. Competition
-Innovative products
3. Fashion
Departments in a Footwear
Factory
1. Designing Section
• Last making
• Designing
• Grading
• Costing

2. Clicking Section
• Lay out making on material
• Cutting-Die-less cutting
3. Closing Section
• Preparation of Specification Sheets
• Automatic stitching machines
4. Making & Finishing
• Computer controlled machines (Ex.wi-fi)
• Robotics

5. Sole Making
• Sole Designing with CAD
• CNC milling
• RPT
What a CAD/CAM workshop
contains

• A Computer
• CAD software
• 3D digitizer/ scanner
• Sketch tablet
• 2D Digitizer / 2D scanner
• Plotter/Cutter
• RPT printer
 Last Digitizing

• 3D digitizer/scanner converts the 3D surface of

a last into x, y, z co-ordinates.

• There are two main methods of digitizing

• Automatic
• Manual.
Manual Last Digitizing…..

• A mechanical probe for collecting points

from the surface of the last

• Need to draw grid on the surface of the

last.

• Each point is digitized. These are

converted in to the mesh of points into a
surface model
 Manual Last Digitizing…..

1. Reference points
4 3 2. Centre line
6 3. Top line
5 4. Heel line
2

1
5. I/O surface
7
1 6. I/O Heel Surface
7. Bottom surface
Automatic Last Digitizing…..

• The last is mounted on a rotary axis or last may be

static.

• A laser light is then projected onto the surface of

the object as a thin red light.

• The data is processed and send to the 3D

programme where a Last is created automatically
from point cloud data.
 Automatic Last Digitizing…..

• The current latest hand held scanners made this

process very simple.

• Also stand alone scanner can scan the foot or

last instantly.
• Software attached to it can generate reports of
Foot/Last i.e measurements.

Video on Scanner to Last 1

 Last Designing with CAD

Changing Heel Height

Toe Swapping
Last Manufacturing

Portable NC Lathes
 Sketch tablets

• Use touch pen to sketch without mouse

• Directly sketch on the last on touch tablet.

• Gesture recognition.

Sketch
 2D Digitizing
• Majority of the 2D Cad systems basically a grading
software.

• The digitizer converts the shape information

in to digital form (X, Y coordinates).

• Works with standard, half or full form.

• Sometimes operators works with individual

patterns.
2D Deigning
The standard must be accurate and
drawn with sharp lines

After this it is needed to smoothen the

lines.

Smoothing can be made to the design by

adding, deleting or moving points.

The next stage is to engineer the upper

pattern.
 3D Designing
• Design the shoe directly on the last.
• Wrap and image and create shoe.
• Sketched design can be converted in Shoe.
• Existing 2D Design can be transfer on to a last
• Style lines flattened and send to 2D system
Pattern Engineering
• Flatten the 3 D design

• Make toe straight, spring etc

• Creation of dependencies- Mirror, parallels, fillets etc.,

• Creation of parts/patterns etc.,

• Grade the Patterns

 Plotter/Cutter
• Graded data will be send directly to cutter
• Automatic Layout of patterns as per paper
size /even on leather
• Text/size marks can be printed

• Can be sent graded patterns through email to

a remote place
 Costing the Footwear

Necessity of cost calculations

• Upper is the single largest item in the shoe

• Profitability depends on Accurate Costing

• To Control consumption by clickers

 Costing with CAD
• Best Interlocks

• Complete Shoe cost

• Bill of Materials

• Costing with different methods

• Easily presentable Formats

Die-Less Cutting
Computer controlled cutters cut single or multiple
layers from a previously prepared computerized lay plan
without Dies

Types:
1. Knife Cutting
2. Water Jet Cutting
3. Laser Jet Cutting
Why Die-less Cutting ?
• Reduce lead time- design to produce pattern
• No waiting for cutting dies
• Save money on cost of dies

• Reduce material waste.

• Cut thick or thin material

• Simple or too complex shapes

• Nesting to suit today's production mix

 RPT / 3D Printing

• Quickly fabricate a model of a from CAD data

• Called 3D printing and additive manufacturing

technology

• Feel the Shoe before you manufacture it.

• CAD data can be send to anywhere in the world, avoid

sending physical samples.
 RPT / 3D Printing
• With recent technology growth, the printing cost also
come down.
 Customization.
• With 3D printing Customized shoe is possible

• Scan the foot.

• Prepare the Last and then shoe.

• Print and deliver the shoe to customer.

• There are few do this.

Feetz
What CAD software ..
What next….
What next….

• During Product development process, you need a

consistency flow of information to keep your
design on trend and your team on time.

• What Market expects

• Fast product creation .
• Demand creation and ideas.
• Trend forecasting / execution
What Brands are expecting

• Brands are forced to change from “General to

Specialist”

• Brands must manager multiple seasons.

• Brans are challenged in utilizing internal and

external staff effectively
A typical season

Mnth 1 Mnth 2 Mnth 3 Mnth 5 Mnth 6 Mnth 7 Mnth 9 Mnth10 Mnth12 Mnth14 Mnth16 Mnth18

Spring
Fall ‘15 ‘15
Design Proto Lock Proto Lock
Seasona Go To
Produc Design Sales Go To Sales
End End
LRP Down Launch Life
Down Launch Life
Review l Review
Kick tMarket
Brief Review Review
Conference Market Conference
Of Life Of Life
Meeting Meeting
Off

Spring
‘16
Proto Lock
Seasona Produc Design Go To Sales
LRP Review Down
l Kick t Brief Review Market Conference
Meeting
Off

Maintain seasonal clarity in a multi seasonal environment.

Romans CAD Software Copyright 1998 – 2016 Strategies France

How to manage all these
• Solution is PLM & PDM

• PDM: A file-based system for managing 3D models

of physical objects

• PLM: A database system for managing products &

processes

• PDM is a part of PLM

How this helps

• A disciplinary PLM/PDM approach will ensure that

production ready early.

• PDM will remove 5/7 weeks from the product

development cycle.

• Samples delivery time reduced by half.

• Integration of 3D CAD /DM To PLDM reduces errors

About Strategies
About Strategies

 Stratégies is a global leader in development of

CAD/PDM software solutions for the footwear, leather
goods.

 The story began in 1988, with a group of inspired

engineers

 So, the Romans CAD project was born and developed

in conjunction with luxury shoe manufacturers.
 About Strategies

• In 1995, the first 3D shoe software was released in the

market, and other products, such as 2D, SL, Lumière,
3D Sketch, followed in subsequent years.
•
This set of programs is natively integrated in to the
Technical Data Management program, RCS DM (PDM).

• RCS Data Management has now become the central

driver of productivity for our customers.
What RCS can offer
General concepts

Romans CAD Software Copyright 1998 – 2015 Strategies France

RCS digital workflow

RCS 3D SCAN LINE

RCS SL
RCS 3D LAST RCS DM
RCS 2D
RCS 3D SKETCH

RCS CUT

RCS 3D DESIGN

Romans CAD Software Copyright 1998 – 2016 Strategies France

RCS data management
 Centralized management
system for production
workflow
 Collaboration &
connection between
design and development
teams
 Fast access to data;
sharing of information
between teams located
anywhere on the planet
Romans CAD Software Copyright 199 – 2016 Strategies France
 Management of material
consumption, accessories prices,
manpower costs, etc
 Management of complex data as
technical documentation:
nomenclatures, BOM, etc.
 Store data in hierarchical way: family,
collection, brand, commercial brands
and
reports generation
Document vault

Reference categories
Last

Shoes model
Romans CAD Software Copyright 1998 – 2015 Strategies France

Sole

Packing

Etc...
Engineering Module

BOM 3D
3D parts Materials Reports

Etc...

Romans CAD Software Copyright 1998 – 2016 Strategies France

Costing Module

Press Knives

Romans CAD Software Copyright 1998 – 2016 Strategies France

 Thank you

A.V.Suresh

Technical Consultant India

Romans CAD, Strategies