Sportswear manufacturer Adidas has opened an innovative production facility in Germany that uses advances in robotics to deliver customised, small-run products more quickly. The "Speedfactory" is intended to bring production of premium products closer to key markets, cutting shipping costs and reducing beginning-to-end design and production time to as little as 45 days – currently it can take as little as 45 days . Rival Nike has also announced plans to shorten product development times and last month launched a studio in New York where customers can select the color and pattern of their shoes and have them ready in less than 90 minutes. The first products to be offered using the new facility are a series of more than one million running shoes inspired by different cities, with the first one, themed on Germany , launching this week at £ 220 ($ 169.50 ).
Sportswear manufacturer Adidas has opened an innovative production facility in Germany that uses advances in robotics to deliver customised, small-run products more quickly. The "Speedfactory" is intended to bring production of premium products closer to key markets, cutting shipping costs and reducing beginning-to-end design and production time to as little as 45 days – currently it can take as little as 45 days . The first products to be offered using the new facility are a series of more than one million running shoes inspired by different cities, with the first one, themed on Germany , launching this week at £ 220 ($ 169.50 ).