Assembly

1. Product Assembly

2. Garment Preparation and Coloration

3. Garment Printing

4. Garment Washing and Finishing

5. Pre-Assembly Footwear

6. Stockfitting

7. Assembly

8. Finishing – Footwear

9. Disposal Modes

Assembly

The following assembly processes are available for footwear in the Higg Product Module:

  • 360o UV Lighting/Activation should be selected when the footwear has components that have ultraviolet light applied to them. The unit for this process is “per cycle,” with one pass of two parts (for one pair) modeled per cycle. This process is representative for both UV lighting machines that only apply light to one surface as well as “360 UV” that uses mirrors to apply UV light to multiple surfaces.
  • Chilling/Cooling should be selected when the footwear has components that are fast cooled in a cooling tunnel (such as to lower the time before delasting). The unit for this process is “per cycle,” with two parts (for one pair) modeled per cycle. If multiple components per footwear product are fast cooled, then more than one cycle should be selected.
  • Deep Well Pressing should be selected when the footwear has the lasted upper and the sole pressed together using deep well pressing. The unit for this process is “per cycle,” with two parts (for one pair) modeled per cycle.
  • Oven/Heat Tunnel should be selected when the footwear has components that are heated in an oven or heat tunnel (such as to dry the primer or cement after application). The unit for this process is “per cycle,” with two parts (for one pair) modeled per cycle. If multiple components per footwear product are heated, then more than one cycle should be selected.
  • Delasting should be selected when the footwear is delasted (removing the last). The unit for this process is “per pair” of footwear.
  • Heat setting should be selected for any footwear that conditions or prepares the upper with heat prior to inserting the last. The unit for this process is “per pair” and each unit is one heat cycle for a pair of footwear.
  • Heel attachment should be selected for any footwear that has a high heel attached to it. The heel is glued and then screwed into place. The unit for this process is “per pair” of footwear.
  • Heel Lasting should be selected for any footwear where the last is inserted into the heel of the upper before the sole is attached. The unit for this process is “per pair” of footwear.
  • Strobel Stitching should be selected for footwear where the upper material is sewn to a fabric bottom to prepare for bonding to other footwear components (strobel construction technique). The unit for this process is “per pair” and each unit is the construction for a pair of footwear.
  • Toe Lasting should be selected for any footwear where the last is inserted into the toe of the upper to help pull the material tight before the sole is attached. The unit for this process is “per pair” of footwear.
  • Buffing should be selected for footwear where a surface is sanded to obtain good adhesion or bonding. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one buffed part or component.
  • Cementing/Gluing should be selected for footwear where parts are bonded by using an adhesive compound. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one gluing step where two or more components become a single output.
  • Direct Injection Molding should be selected for footwear where parts are directly injection molded into a pre-made mold. After cooling, the part is trimmed. For most plastic components, the injection molding should already be accounted for using the Higg MSI and Trims & Components Library. If bulk plastic is an input on the Bill of Materials (with the material customized appropriately in the Higg MSI), this process can be used.
  • Priming should be selected for footwear where a layer of primer is applied to component surfaces to prepare them for bonding. The unit for this process is “per part” and the number of parts that have primer applied to them should be entered.
  • Washing/Cleaning should be selected for footwear where the incoming components are washed or cleaned to remove impurities before further processing. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one washed or cleaned part.
  • Stitching – Computer should be selected for footwear where the upper is sewn using a programmable stitching machine. The unit for this process is “per stitched edge” and each edge that is stitched is considered one unit. Each stitched edge is modeled as an 8cm stitch length. Thread consumption can be different for different stitch types; however, this process is still considered representative since the thread is only a small aspect of the process impacts.
  • Stitching – Manual should be selected for footwear where the upper is sewn manually by workers. The unit for this process is “per stitched edge” and each edge that is stitched is considered one unit. Each stitched edge is modeled as an 8cm stitch length. Thread consumption can be different for different stitch types; however, this process is still considered representative since the thread is only a small aspect of the process impacts.