OrthoLite Expands Capacity, Local-for-Local Production in India

OrthoLite India, located in Ambur, Tamil Nadu, is the most recent addition to OrthoLite’s portfolio of vertically integrated, global facilities. Adding to OrthoLite’s global capacity of over 1 billion pairs of foaming and insole production. OrthoLite India secures another one of the premier footwear manufacturing regions with the category leader in sustainable comfort. OrthoLite India opened its doors in June 2021 and is now fully operational, ready to further expand local capacities to meet the needs of our brand partners.

“Our investment into Chennai reinforces OrthoLite’s growing commitment to expand global capacities while consistently delivering quality, innovation, service and sustainability,” said Glenn Barrett, Founder and CEO of OrthoLite. “This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility catalyzes local-for-local production and service while also ensuring an important layer of risk mitigation to our 470-plus worldwide brand partners as well as India’s leading domestic brands.”

The area between Ambur and Chennai is home to over 500 shoe manufacturers with even more located across the state of Tamil Nadu. The region is globally known for footwear craftsmanship and production. Sixty-six of OrthoLite’s 470 global brand partners produce in India and the region represents part of the strategic and intentional choice to have local factories provide efficient and exemplary service directly to local partners.

“For our many T1 factory partners across all of India, this means the same exceptional OrthoLite service and product you expect, with an accelerated speed-to-market in the region,” Barrett continued.

Since the factory’s first day of operations in June 2021, the OrthoLite India team has delivered on OrthoLite’s promise of premium insoles that deliver comfort and performance. Like all of OrthoLite’s vertically-integrated, global manufacturing facilities, OrthoLite India brings consistency and capacity and delivers on the company-wide values of quality, sustainability, and continuous improvement.

 

Positioned for Dynamic Growth for T1 Factories and Brands

Located in the hub of Indian footwear manufacturing, the OrthoLite Indian factory is literally positioned to increase speed to market and supply chain reliability for our partners.

As the number 1 nominated insole provider to 470 footwear brands across all categories and price points, it is critical that OrthoLite supports all of the global production regions that our brand partners operate within.  OrthoLite India was another strategic investment to support this expansion initiative.

At present, OrthoLite India makes the following OrthoLite products:

• Open-cell PU sheets
• Laminated sheets
• Die cut insoles
• Molded foot beds

This is, however, a dynamic factory, a dynamic production hub, and a dynamic region overall. India, itself, is a rapidly emerging powerhouse in the global economy. Ultimately, expanding into India enables OrthoLite to continuously raise the bar of service and partnership to its 470 brand partners worldwide through a fast-changing global economic business climate.

“As our brand partners continue to expand their production allocations, we can seamlessly accommodate the additional demand or the migration of production volumes into other regions,” Barrett said. “This helps our partners to mitigate geo-political, pandemic or supply chain risk by having over 1 billion pairs of production capacities across the key regions.”

OrthoLite factories in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia can closely coordinate with OrthoLite India to optimize production needs with the same consistent and exceptional quality, speed, and service.

Brands can establish higher confidence and transparency in their supply chain, because OrthoLite India implements our global manufacturing standards encompassing the highest levels of safety and sustainability practices.

Local support, exemplary speed to market, and the ability to quickly ramp up capacity across four Asia-based factories, maximizes agility and responsiveness for all.

An Experienced Management Team

India country manager, Devabalan heads up a leadership team that brings over 120 years of experience in footwear management and manufacturing. Their collected business and production acumen cannot be overstated.

Together, with nearly 100 team members working in the factory at OrthoLite India, they focus their talent and energy on one mission: delivering an impeccable OrthoLite product to our brand partners in a way that elevates service, ease, delivery times, and sustainability practices.

The OrthoLite India Facility as an Extension of OrthoLite’s Core Commitments

A mission that combines quality, innovation, service and sustainability requires another foundation: an exceptional facility. Ortholite India is equipped with leading edge machines, state of the art technologies, and extensive team training. The facility, workforce and leadership combined have quickly achieved the transition to OrthoLite’s best-in-class operational excellence throughout a brisk window of production increases.

• Intense training for globally-recognized operating standards: Prior to opening, all of the local managers traveled to OrthoLite’s Vietnam factory to train in OrthoLite’s operating standards and quality control procedures.
• Consistent, exceptional quality: This training ensured the India factory would meet OrthoLite standards from the very first operating day, and would deliver the same excellence and reliability across as all of OrthoLite’s global factories.
• An extension of OrthoLite’s core values: Training also ensures that OrthoLite’s core values of safety, people, sustainability, and quality are reflected in all the activities executed at OrthoLite India.

Making the best insoles in the world cannot be isolated into performance alone. It includes respect, service, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

OrthoLite India In-House Testing Lab

When it comes to continuous improvement, testing and verifying provide benchmarks for success. We are proud to announce the OrthoLite India in-house testing lab.

Industry-wide, product testing is often completed by third parties, which can slow down development and response times for brands and manufacturers. Our in-house testing lab represents a significant investment in improving efficiencies, consistency and turnaround times for our brand partners.

It allows us to test, refine, and verify specifications sourced by our brand partners. For example, we can test all of the “extras” required for their final, customized OrthoLite product. These may include: top layer fabrics, logos, die cuts, and molded footbed units.

We test against OrthoLite Global Standards and to the established standards and test methods specified by other T1 manufacturers and brand partners. Delivering on our promise of premium quality, consistency and capacity across all product applications is a critical pillar within OrthoLite’s standards.

To verify accuracy and reliability from our in-house testing, the OrthoLite testing lab is in the process of earning official lab certification from the Indian National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

“Owning our production has enabled OrthoLite to consistently control quality in-house while expanding capacity and risk mitigation for our brand partners. This is a continual key to our success over the last 25 years. OrthoLite India is exemplary as the newest addition to our global footprint,” Barrett added.

Commitment to a Better Future, One Step and One Location at a Time

At OrthoLite, we strive to serve all people and all of the planet. For us, that begins by positioning ourselves locally to serve the brands and T1 manufacturers who make the shoes we love and rely upon.

Our mission has always been quite simple: to help our brand partners make more comfortable shoes. And we proudly add OrthoLite India to our collective regional manufacturing hubs to further this mission of providing sustainable comfort to those we service and support each day.

Join us as we walk into the future of footwear.