Birkenstock opens new footwear factory

Birkenstock's history can be traced back to 1774.

Seventeen months after construction began, the new Birkenstock production facility near the town of Pasewalk in north-east German has started operations on schedule. Preparatory work commenced in April 2022, and four months later the foundation stone was laid for the largest single investment in the company’s history, which will total almost EUR 110 million (GBP 94.9 million/USD 116.8 million).

Initially, the new plant will be home to a team of 200 employees who will work in both the production and administrative areas. Subsequently, capacity in the factory is expected to be gradually expanded as part of a ramp-up process up to a level of around 1,000 members of staff. In parallel, the Birkenstock plant located in Görlitz will be changing its focus and will be completely converted to cork-latex production.

Known for its sandals and other shoes with contoured cork footbeds, and with a history that can be traced back to 1774, Birkenstock has around 6,200 employees worldwide, operates a vertically integrated manufacturing base and produces all its footbeds in Germany. In addition, the company reportedly assembles over 95 per cent of its products in Germany and sources more than 90 per cent of its materials and components from Europe.

Birkenstock runs operational sites in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Bavaria, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Headquartered in Linz am Rhein, the company also operates its own sales offices in the United States and Canada, as well as in Brazil, Denmark, Dubai, France, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the October 2023 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

---