Every two years, DESMA Schuhmaschinen GmbH invites the global footwear industry to come to Achim and share knowledge about the latest trends and technologies. With the motto “Pioneering. Together.”, DESMA HOUSE FAIR 2024 took place on 24 and 25 September in Achim (Germany). “We offered a comprehensive programme of around 20 technical lectures, presentations and live demonstrations with the focus on the topics of innovation, sustainability and artificial intelligence,” explained Christian Decker, DESMA Managing Director in charge of engineering.
DESMA is a leading specialist in the manufacture of industrial footwear machinery with a portfolio ranging from process plant and manufacturing systems, automation and robotics right through to the design and production of moulds, as well as service and training. The company’s core competence lies in direct soling machinery which “injects” the sole onto a pre-produced upper. The market potential for systems like these is high, as more and more countries are faced with a shortage of skilled workers and high labour costs, so that the automation potential of these solutions is becoming increasingly important.
Innovation and sustainability
One of the highlights at this year’s House Fair was the presentation of a new system technology that produces soles made of thermoplastic materials using pioneering DESMA SCF technology (Super Critical Foaming). This method creates a microcellular foam that enables the production of soles that are not only extremely light, but also deliver high performance. These are used primarily in sophisticated sports and running shoes, but also in sneakers as well as trekking and hiking shoes. Thermoplastic materials are suitable for thermomechanical recycling, which makes this technology truly pioneering and endorses the trend towards sustainability. Other benefits include a low percentage of rejects and high production output. The first system equipped with this technology was presented at the House Fair, together with material partners. The exhibition also featured a highly automated amirC line which produced a complete shoe with an SCF sole.
Sustainability is an increasingly important criterion for the footwear industry. Here again, DESMA presented solutions such as its particle dosing unit (PDU). The addition of granulated production waste, for instance, or functional additives can reduce the quantity of production waste and material consumption.
DESMA was awarded the PFI Eco-Label at the House Fair. It was presented by Dr Kerstin Schulte, Director of the PFI Institute. This label confirms that DESMA actively contributes to climate protection, promotes the transition to a circular economy, protects eco-systems, optimises energy efficiency and uses renewable energy.
Automation, artificial intelligence and digitisation
There is a worldwide trend towards automation and customised shoe production. DESMA presented the “integrAIt” PU boot as the concept shoe of 2024. This innovative boot was designed with the help of AI and produced on a DESMA direct soling system – an impressive combination of technology, design and production expertise. Workshop participants designed a shoe for which the data was transmitted directly to a 3D printer and a 3D knitting machine that produced flexible sole prototypes and near-series uppers within just a few hours. “Design2manufacturing is becoming more and more important,” stressed Christian Decker. “At the House Fair, we clearly showed that it is possible to reduce the time from the design of a shoe and prototype production through to series production to just a few days or even hours. The combination of all the methods shown delivers undreamt-of possibilities for footwear producers,” said DESMA’s Managing Director.
Klaus Freese and Christian Decker
DESMA was awarded the PFI Eco-Label at the House Fair. It was presented by Dr Kerstin Schulte, Director of the PFI Institute.
DESMA Schuhmaschinen GmbH was founded in Achim in the north of Germany in 1946. With a staff of more than 230, it develops and manufactures production plants and machinery for industrial footwear production. The core technology is direct soling, a process in which the sole is automatically “injected” onto the pre-produced upper. Each of the complex systems dispatched from Achim every year is a specially designed model. 90 per cent are exported to destinations on every continent.