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MANUFACTURING & MATERIALS INNOVATION
A
mong the most overlooked
components of a shoe are the
toe puff and counter yet, in
most instances, they are
essential for preserving its shape,
providing protection to the wearer’s
toes and support around their heels.
They, or more particularly the materials
they are made from, are however
seldom considered important in terms
of innovation as are upper leathers or
soling
materials.
Nevertheless,
important changes do take place and
the most recent one concerns both
sustainability and recyclability.
BK Giulini GmbH, Business Unit
Rhenoflex of Luwigshafen, Germany,
has been a major supplier of toe puff
and counter material to the industry
since 1952 and celebrates its 60th
aniversary later this year. The original
materials had fabric substrates
saturated with urea formaldehyde
resins that could be water-activated on
the shoe factory production line. Toe
puffs and counters cut from these
materials contrasted favourably with
the more normal solvent-activated
types as they were easier to handle, did
not affect operators’ hands and, above
all, did not give off unpleasant fumes.
The fact that they were also relatively
environmentally friendly was not a
consideration taken into account 60
years ago. They did however perform
well in the shoe and, as a consequence,
manufacturers who tried them also
liked them.
Experienced shoe technicians were
hired to introduce the new products into
shoe factories’ production systems and
Rhenoflex toe puffs and counters quickly
became popular throughout the German
footwear industry. Building on this base,
the company opened its first laboratory
in 1953. Ever since then the Rhenoflex
Research Laboratories have been the
driving force that has enabled the
company to introduce a number of
significant advances in terms of both
technology and, increasingly, recycling
and sustainability.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
The mid-1950s also saw the
introduction of the first counters to be
coated with a heat-activated thermo-
adhesive. These were generally made
from leather board and pre-moulded to
shape. Rhenoflex, however, continued
to use saturated woven or non-woven
type substrates. The big advantage here
was that counters could be cut from flat
sheets and edge skived within the shoe
factory in the same manner as toe puffs,
rather than being ordered as a complete
component. This offered a greater
degree of flexibility and economy. By the
end of the 50s, the company was
supplying toe puffs and counters based
on this principle for almost all types of
footwear other than safety toe caps.
The next innovation, as far as product
was concerned, came in 1980 with the
introduction of the patented RX3000
range. This was a major breakthrough in
that the adhesive was contained within
the material itself rather than being an
outer coating. This meant that the
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WORLD FOOTWEAR | MARCH/APRIL 2012
PHOTO CREDIT: RHENOFLEX
Recycling where
least expected