Pre-Assembly Footwear

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

Circular knitting should be selected when a component is knitted and has not already been accounted for in the Bill of Materials. The unit for circular knitting is “per cm2” and the number of square centimeters that are knit per pair of footwear should be specified. Often it will be more representative to model these materials in the Higg MSI, but this process is appropriate where limited details on the material are known.
Hole Punching (with machine) should be selected for any hole punching in the upper part of the shoe, for instance to make a hole for the lace to pass through. The unit for this process is “per hole” and the total number of holes per pair of footwear should be specified.
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 one pair of footwear.
No sewing upper should be selected for any footwear where overlay parts are applied to the upper textile material using heat and pressure. The unit for this process is “per pair” and each unit is one heat/pressure cycle for one 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 one pair of footwear.
Bottom Die Cutting should be selected for footwear where die cutting is used to cut the bottom material into the correct shape. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one die cut component.
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.
Embossing should be selected for footwear where parts are embossed to give a surface texture (raised or recessed surfaces and ridges). The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one embossed part or component.
Heat Pressing should be selected for footwear where a heat press (heat and pressure) is used to attach size labels and/or other materials. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one heat press cycle to attach parts.
High Frequency Welding should be selected for footwear when parts are joined using heat to weld synthetic materials together. The unit of welding is “per part” and the number of output parts that have been welded for the product should be entered as the amount. While the welding process is modeled based on radio frequency welding, this process is considered representative for ultrasonic welding as well.
Skiving should be selected for footwear where components have their edges reduced in thickness by slicing or scraping. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one skived part or component.
Upper Component Die Cutting should be selected for footwear where die cutting is used to cut the upper material into the correct shape. The unit for this process is “per part” and each unit is one die cut component.
3D Printing should be selected for footwear where a raised screen print is applied, giving it a 3-D texture. The unit for this process is “per print” and each unit is one 3D screen print.
Screen Printing should be selected for footwear where a screen print is applied. The unit for this process is “per print” and each unit is one screen print.
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.