Adidas has just closed two robot shoe factories because it is expensive and less flexible than outsourcing in China and Vietnam.

Adidas plans to close two high-tech robot factories in Germany and the United States that they open with the goal of bringing products closer to customers. The reason for this move is that some technologies, if implemented in Asia, would be “more economical and flexible”.

Adidas’ robot factories are partly opened to meet the faster shipping needs of new models to major markets and to cope with rising wages in Asia and rising shipping costs. Initially, they planned to create a global network of similar factories.

The company did not say in detail why it closed the two factories – but according to some analysts, it was expensive and made it difficult to expand the technology for its product lines. other.

Martin Shankland, Adidas’s global operations president, said the factories helped the company improve its expertise in creative manufacturing but applying what it learned with its suppliers would be “more flexible and economical”. .

Adidas started manufacturing robot shoes at the Speedfactory in Ansbach, Germany in 2016 and opened another factory in Atlanta in 2017.

Founded by Adi Dassler in 1949, Adidas has moved most of its production from Europe to Asia and now relies on more than 1 million workers at processing plants in China and Vietnam.

However, Adidas said on Monday that the two above-mentioned robot plants would cease operations in April 2020 and focus on the application of new technologies at two Asian suppliers.