Why use SATRA?

Considering what makes SATRA unique, and how over a century of experience and insight has led to the development of vital services for the footwear and leathergoods industries.

by Michael Bodsworth

SATRA enjoys an enviable reputation as the world’s leading scientific research organisation for the footwear and leathergoods industries – and rightly so. Our track record over the years has seen us produce and deliver many innovative products and services that have become widely accepted within industry. As a ‘non-profit distributing’ organisation, any surplus income is fed back into the business to further develop our services for members.

Since its founding more than 100 years ago, SATRA has amassed a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Such is the diversity that, although we are very well known within the global footwear industry, many people are not aware of the full range of services and technical support that we offer.

The two most frequently asked questions when companies approach us are probably: “I know that SATRA is influential in the footwear industry, but what exactly is it that SATRA does?” and “How are you different to other multi-national laboratories that test shoes?”

Giving support to the entire supply chain

SATRA supports the entire global footwear and leathergoods supply chain, which encompasses material and component suppliers, tanneries, manufacturers, importers/exporters, sourcing companies, designers, distributors, wholesalers, brand owners and retailers. Our knowledge bank and experience built up over more than a century provides an unparalleled resource to the industry, including problem-solving, training and advice, quality assurance assistance, legislative compliance, provision of specialist test equipment and factory process management. SATRA is a ‘research and technology organisation’, and we annually invest a considerable amount of money into our research budget. This has enabled us to develop many of the materials, equipment and processes that shoemakers use today.

Of particularly importance are our SATRA test methods and guidelines. These are written by members of our scientific team who provide authoritative guidance on whether a material or product is suitable for any given application. This is very different to the work of a ‘test house’ or ‘inspection body’. Many such organisations operating in the footwear and leathergoods industries conduct tests originally developed by SATRA – they have not developed the tests and equipment themselves. However, while we do not describe SATRA as a ‘test house’, we do have the most comprehensive footwear testing laboratories in the world and conduct many basic tests annually, as well as more in-depth problem-solving or development jobs. Indeed, members have often insisted on our test reports as they consider them to be pre-eminent in terms of credibility.

Setting the standard

Over the years, many of our inventions and innovations have become industry staples, with a considerable number of our test methods adopted by national and international standards bodies. We believe these to be the best methods available, so SATRA actively works with such bodies to ensure the widest possible usage – either as originally derived or slightly modified. Contributions are often uncredited, such is the selflessness of the standards world. This is one reason many modern shoemakers are unaware of the influence SATRA has had on world footwear and leather standards – and continues to have to this day. Likewise, most of the footwear test equipment (and some industrial processes such as moist heat setting) used widely around the world was developed by SATRA.

SATRA-manufactured test equipment covers the assessment of all materials and components through to whole footwear, and many of our machines are unique. We have a policy of restricting new machines and test methods only to members for a period of time to enable them to gain a competitive edge. Over the years, many of our test machines have simply been copied by engineering companies with no technical footwear experience or in-depth understanding of what the equipment is meant to do. An advantage of using genuine SATRA-supplied items is that our experienced technologists can provide comprehensive training if required.

Reserved access

Membership has always been – and remains – the only way to access all footwear areas of SATRA’s extensive library of knowledge. SATRA works hard to disseminate this through regular webinars, seminars, workshops and training, as well as printed and digital media such as our SATRA Bulletin magazine which is widely distributed to members, in addition to online meetings, videos and, of course, via telephone and email.

SATRA has members in around 70 countries worldwide and in all areas of the footwear and leathergoods supply chain. We have a network of contacts providing local support in key manufacturing areas around the world, including Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Services include support close to key manufacturing areas as we expand our global factory services, including SATRA’s Technical Compliance Scheme, Laboratory Accreditation, ISO 9001 auditing, leather grading and cutter training, production efficiency services, and sustainability and quality improvement projects. Specialist projects are also conducted – for example, providing assistance with moving to water-based adhesives, a key result of which is helping factories, brand owners and retailers to achieve their sustainability goals by reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, as well as the training of company personnel in the use of this production process. These services are backed up by technical experts from our laboratories in the UK and China, who travel the world to deliver training, provide consultancy advice, evaluate factories and their in-factory facilities, and install SATRA production efficiency systems.

Finger on the pulse

We understand the challenges that footwear businesses face right now with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, on top of huge structural changes taking place in the footwear industry driven by new technology, changing consumer behaviour, legislation and global economic shifts.

This means it is not always practical or possible for brand owners and retailers to keep in touch with every aspect of their extended supply chain or to visit these key partners. This is where SATRA can help. We have developed products and services that are intended to develop and demonstrate confidence in key areas. For instance, a SATRA test report commissioned by a buyer can help to verify the quality of the shipment, while suppliers can commission work to show prospective customers how good their products are. Tests can be conducted by any number of test houses, but SATRA has an enviable worldwide reputation for honesty and integrity and not taking ‘short cuts’. We can also give advice to improve the product if necessary. Therefore, a SATRA report can often prove to be more authoritative than many others.

Likewise, our Laboratory Accreditation programme allows manufacturers to demonstrate a commitment to quality, and many buyers (particularly for Western brand owners) will only use manufacturers with a SATRA-accredited laboratory. Other examples include leather grading, where SATRA training enables both the tanner and the user to have greater confidence in each other. We also run an increasing number of factory services. A conformity programme called the ‘SATRA Quality Mark’ is prized for being one of the few SATRA services where we allow our logo to be used at the point of sale on compliant product.

Also, factories can be evaluated under the new SATRA Technical Compliance Scheme, and awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze rating provided they meet the requirements of the programme. The evaluation is split into ten sections, covering the key technical aspects of the complete manufacturing process. Combined with a basic review of the factory environment that includes health and safety and housekeeping throughout the facility, companies are able to recognise the processes which affect quality and where they can make improvements or require training. As a result, companies aspiring to supply brand owners are able to stand out from their competitors by ensuring stable production methods and safe working environments in their factories. In addition, a SATRA Technical Compliance Scheme award can provide an important service to sourcing companies, brand owners and retailers, by enabling them to not only evaluate new sources, but also grade their supply base. This will allow them to manage the quality of the products being purchased and oversee a factory improvement programme without having to travel.

This is a new addition to SATRA’s work in helping manufacturers to make their products to higher quality standards and in a more efficient and sustainable manner. Our consultants also go on-site offering advice, training and the installation of production efficiency systems for improving material utilisation (SATRASumm), factory planning (SATRA Timeline) and better-stitched products (SATRA VisionStitch).

An unsurpassed knowledge base to tap into A key benefit of SATRA membership is access to SATRA’s expertise, accumulated over these many years of research and observation on the performance of footwear and footwear materials in manufacture and service. Using our unique guidelines, the results of tests can be evaluated by our technologists to provide an assessment of suitability for purpose.

When asked to test a shoe material or component, reputable test houses will quickly identify standard properties they think should be tested and carry out the tests. If they are ISO 17025-accredited, you should be confident that the tests are being conducted correctly. However, it is one thing to produce a test result and quite another thing to be able to interpret what the result means.

Of course, it is not always necessary to know why something fails. It may simply be enough to know whether a product is satisfactory in order to place an order or to reject the shipment if it fails. SATRA offers this service under the title of ‘specification testing’, and this is particularly relevant when checking footwear against safety legislation. Nevertheless, SATRA members are often interested in a much deeper analysis of their products in order to improve quality, durability, fitness for purpose and cost-effective manufacture. This is the role that SATRA was created for and continues unparalleled today.

A unique service

Our research facilities further differentiate us from other testing organisations. Firstly, SATRA has an ongoing research programme on test development, which is funded by members' subscriptions. This ensures that all the tests we carry out and develop reflect the actual needs of the industry – both in terms of technical requirements and suitability for today’s market. It is therefore necessary for us to keep abreast of changes in materials, manufacturing technology, consumer trends and legislation. We also update existing tests to make them more relevant and faster, as well as developing new ones.

Secondly, we encourage members to discuss their testing needs with us. As a result, we can help to define the important properties according to end use. We will often be able to suggest a number of more relevant tests to predict service performance.

Thirdly, we use our expertise to interpret test results. Even if asked to test against a recognised specification, we will always comment where we feel that the result does not tell the whole story and some qualification would be helpful.

Our whole approach to footwear testing relies very much on our expertise. How does SATRA ensure that this is maintained? Expertise is very much in the hands of individuals who build up their knowledge through experience of working in a specific field. Whether it is in upper materials, solings, lasting or sole attaching, SATRA has some of the world’s finest footwear technologists.

However, the total sum of knowledge gained by SATRA over the years clearly needs to be passed from person to person. This is achieved with the help of SATRA’s performance guidelines. All the information about tests and performance levels is stored in the guidelines library, which enables our members of staff to interpret results consistently and to build on their previous knowledge. Over time, SATRA guidelines have evolved so that all performance requirements relate to the end use of the material or product, in order to help identify their fitness for purpose. The library is regularly updated, with individual guidelines adapted to take account of such changes as new materials, new constructions and amended legislation, as well as alterations in manufacturing techniques. However, changes are not made at a whim. All amendments go through a process of peer review and only when SATRA is satisfied are they ratified.

Beware of imitations

Members should be wary of test houses which claim that their guidelines are the same as SATRA’s. While we work closely with members to develop their own individual specifications, based on our guideline values, we do not release our guideline library to any external organisations. The guidelines are only as good as the people who use them to interpret a test result. Only someone at SATRA with experience and access to our data would be able to explain what a particular guideline means. This is why both the guidelines (to maintain consistency over a period of time) and the expert – who understands a member’s needs and how the guidelines fit into the modern footwear market – are needed.

Our expertise is wide ranging. Whatever your issue – whether it is design and product specifications, material selection, manufacturing, testing and evaluation, comfort and fit, safety, waste reduction, global quality control and assurance, sustainability or compliance – we will have an expert who is able to help.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 26 of the January 2022 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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