Page 16 - wfjulaug2011

t is strange how the meanings of words and expressions can change over the years. Mention the word ‘finishing’ to anyone in the footwear industry sixty or so years ago and they would automatically know you were referring to the sequence of operations that followed sole attaching in the traditional shoemaking process. In those days, soles and heels had to be trimmed and scoured, coloured, waxed and polished.

The arrival of pre-finished resin rubber sole and heel units changed all that and, now, the traditional ‘finishing department’ only exists in factories producing Goodyear welted or other expensive specialised types of footwear. Even the most exclusive ladies dress shoes will almost always use pre-finished soles and heels–howbeit to the

very highest standards of fit and finish.

Today, finishing usually refers to the essential operations in what used to be known as the shoe room and which is now referred to in some companies as the stock room. This is because the completed footwear will, after being passed by the final examiner and placed into the appropriate box, become a fully valued item of stock.

The finishing department can, in many ways, be likened to the A&E department in a hospital. In an ideal world, we should not have need of either. The world is not ideal however and all too many accidents unfortunately do happen despite ever increasing health and safety