
How to make shoes
We visited the factory Ralf Ringer and learned that in the creation of each shoe involves at least 40 people.

Russian Ralf Ringer company for 17 years. She has three own factories (in Moscow, Vladimir and Zaraysk), Russia's largest distribution network (more than 1700 stores) and the nation's largest volume of production of men's shoes. Total in 2012, it sold about 1, 35 million pairs.
The shoe company Ralf Ringer
Location - Moscow
Opening date - 1996
Employees - 3000
Annual turnover - 2 billion rubles
Before the start of production of future footwear goes a long way. The team of brand managers, relying on the world fashion trends, market analysis and sales results of the previous collections, creates a technical task. On its basis, designers come up with a collection that show the product mix of the company and department heads on an outline board. Next model selected, which, supposedly, will be in demand in the market. For these models, and create a routing pattern, the first samples of produce for which a pilot shop. Already rebuffed collection again show to the expert advice, step by step, considering every style and model, sends them back for revision fashion designers and approve the final selection. Only now the collection is presented buyers from different stores. Those models that they choose, and enter into mass production.

The factory uses leather from four countries: from Russia - for rough men's shoes from Italy - to model the classics, from Argentina - for polusportivny footwear and raw materials from France comes a high selection, which is used in the production of the most expensive models.

Pads consider the structural features of Russian foot. We have it wider and fuller than the Europeans, so classic Italian shoes our men are often not suitable. Russian foot width can be not only a genetic characteristic, but also the result earned in childhood orthopedic flatfoot from uncomfortable shoes.

In this workshop carved details of the future boots. It is specifically located on the first floor because of the press for punching parts are very heavy - they simply would not have withstood the overlap.


To work it requires a good geometric thinking - to properly arrange patterns on the segment material.

So cut out the insole. Each shoe (with rare exceptions, moccasins, for example - without the main insole) to maintain formostoykost necessarily contains cellulose insole of the shoe - a very dense, thick material. She, like the bones in the human body, creates a boot frame.

On the table are related twine patterns for a particular shoe style and size. Each piece is inserted in a cutter that cuts under the pressure of the relevant parts of the material.

This is a preparatory workshop, where they are processed before the cut parts. Paint over them, singeing special blowtorch, sag, making the layout a silver pencil. Then there is the marking of parts: each shoe has a data type of shoe, color, size and batch number.

An important nuance when you create a boot - on it should not be pronounced scars, sutures, which can injure the foot. To shoes are not rubbing, some parts grind the edge. To control the thickness of the skin, use a feeler gauge (see photo).


The shop, which is held laser perforation, is always a strong smell palonoy skin. According to the pattern specified program, the laser burns a neat "hole" in the skin.


The next workshop sew the top and lining of shoes: here there are processes of stitching, stitching, gluing parts, cutting too much, the addition of functional details, such as buttons and buckles.


It passes through the shop automatic tape on which boxes travel products. To the expert carried out his operation, the master puts the box on the ribbon, click on the remote control number of the specialist, and the box is sent to him. When the operation is completed, returns specialist product box master and it sends the next operator.

In this workshop do basic insoles, which are then attached to the top of the workpiece, and then to the sole. Carved on the ground floor part of insoles (basic and heel) are glued together.

This machine does in the insole recess into which then insert the instep.



The following steps relate to the shaping of the boot. To do this, first to block the three studs nailed shoe insole of cellulose. Then in special machines occurs tightening and gluing the toe and heel of the shoe-gelonochnoy on board. White thread on Babinet in the photo - a polyurethane adhesive that is heated inside the machine.

Boot passes through a special sauna, where it undergoes a wet-heat treatment, as a result of which finally takes the form of pads. Then goes blank for the preparation of the attachment to the sole: chertozhka washed off, there is a pre-primed and polished shoes, sanded using coarse abrasive excess long edge.



To attach the top to the foot, the skin at the joint between the sole and the top of the blank must be a little ruffle - as part of a better "seize".

So there is a connection with the top of the sole of the shoe. Sole with glue strongly heated and pressed in a special bath with the top. Ready shoe is very hot, therefore it is sent directly to a freezer and then quickly removed from it any excess adhesive.

Then the boot is removed from the connector, insert it in the insoles, processed cream colored with a water-repellent paints, additionally sanded, steamed special mini-ironing, which spreads the inner sock. Also shoes treated with carnauba wax, which is considered the most expensive material in the shoe cosmetics. It is thanks to his shoes in the stores look so sparkling.

For the correct formation of the shoe top special production laces are used to block, which in the end are replaced with conventional ones.

Then the finished shoes are checked for compliance with the model. If all is well, it put the paper ball, wrapped and placed in boxes. Examples of models left in the showroom (pictured below) at the factory.

Above each shoe employs more than 40 people. As a rule, in it from 40 to 60 parts, each transaction makes an individual worker. In total, the day the factory produces about 3,000 pairs of shoes.