10 KEY STEPS TO GET SHOES MANUFACTURED
Shoe-making is considered a traditional handicraft profession, including graphic designs and other kinds of art. There are many parts of a shoe, such as the sole, insole, outsole, midsole, etc. Shoes undergo a surprisingly high number of stages before they are ready to be sold out and worn. Wondering how to start your own shoe business? You already have fantastic and amazing ideas in your mind just waiting to come to actuality. Here are some steps to bring your designs to life.
Creating a tech pack:
Tech packs are digital graphics of your designs, a detailed description of the shape, structure, materials. It requires a creative vision and the people who know how to make a shoe look good and perform well. The client provides initial sketches, and the designers refine them to make sure they are technically correct for the shoe-making process.
A tech pack should provide all the details to your manufacturer to understand your design. This helps the development team to know how to execute your designs correctly easily. You can also choose to create tech packs on your own if you have a mind full of creativity.
Establishing a target and finding your niche:
When you are targeting a niche category or a mass-market product, you need to have an idea of the retail price you want to fit in. It is advisable to focus on a niche market, to begin with if you are newly establishing a business. This gives you an upper hand in the market, and you won’t have to compete with giants on the same product and can charge appropriately. During your research, you can also find the right manufacturer.
Decide on shoe manufacture:
You should know different factories specialize in specific footwear types before you get in touch with a manufacturer take a look at pictures of what types of shoes the factory produces. Looking at pictures might give you a sense of quality. Ensure that you partner with the versatile factory, depending on the type of footwear you want.
Submit your project to a manufacturer:
After you have found the right manufacturer, it’s time to submit your project for reviews, send tech packs in a proper pdf format along with reference samples that are ready to ship to the factory. It’s extremely helpful if you share your desired budget and your business plan.
If there are any estimated timelines that you need to meet, it’s the perfect time to inform the shoe factory. After sharing all the details, the manufacturer can provide you with a development quote and should also be able to tentative production timeline slots. Pricing at this point may be difficult as the manufacturer does not know what materials have been used.
Update your budget based on minimum order quantity:
If you have decided to use public molds for your outsoles rather than custom tooling or decided to up your quantity. It’s the right time to decide on a viable retail price and then calculates to see if the price fits into the target price. Things can vary when you get into the details, and it’s good if you stock again and make sure your budget still fits.
Approve confirmation samples and start production:
Several different samples will have been brought to you by this time, deciding a confirmation sample to approve your design is the last step before you start production
Now that the samples are confirmed, you still have a lot of things to confirm before you launch into production, so take another look at the stock before you proceed further. Your manufacturer will order raw materials, which usually include tooling, cutting dies, molds. Production lead times are generally 6-8 weeks, and factory lead times depend on how busy the factory is. Shoes should be thoroughly inspected before they are transported. The production level has its ups and downs dealing with trusted factories will tremendously help.
Approving quality control report:
Most manufacturers make sure that the goods meet their standards. There’s also an option of hiring a third-party firm that specializes in inspecting footwear production and quality. You will receive a quality control report directing your requirements. This report can help you make the necessary changes.
Shipping arrangements:
Now, we come to the final step of dispatching your shoes. Your shoes are ready, but they need to get to you. Shipping timelines and pricing is varies based on factories. Most factories do not provide such services, and the products are usually ex-factory. An accurate quote is difficult to estimate far in advance, and your shipping costs may be different from one shipment to the next. Shipping should be booked a couple of weeks ago to complete your order.
