Reebok 2015 Annual Report Download - page 85

GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP
Research and Development
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FIVE PILLARS OF INNOVATION
Our Group remains committed to maintaining a full and innovative product pipeline, bringing new
groundbreaking technologies and evolutions of concepts and ideas to life each year. This way, we want to
ensure product leadership across all brands and categories and further drive consumer desire.
Within the framework of our new strategic business plan ‘Creating the New’ we identified five strategic
pillars within our R&D principles, which enable us to develop the best product for our athletes, while at
the same time drive game-changing innovations in the field of manufacturing, digital and sustainability.
Consequently, our ambition to be the best sporting goods company in the world will evolve around our
five pillars of innovation in close cooperation with our consumers and business partners to build, refine
and evolve the ‘New’.
•Athlete innovation
Our clear focus is to produce the best and most innovative products for the athlete to enable them to perform
at their very best. To achieve this, we work closely together with athletes as well as numerous universities
and industry-leading companies, to better understand the needs of our target consumer.
In recent years, the adidas Group has introduced groundbreaking athlete innovations as an outcome of this
approach. These include, amongst others:
Boost: Launched in cooperation with BASF, Boost is an industry-first cushioning technology designed to
deliver maximum energy return, responsiveness and comfort to athletes. The energy return is provided
by energy capsules in the midsole of the shoe, which store and release energy. In addition, Boost foam is
three times more temperature-resistant than standard EVA material.
ClimaChill: As a revolution in active cooling technology, the ClimaChill apparel range incorporates an
innovative fabric using titanium and 3D aluminium cooling spheres, which are strategically located to
correspond with the warmest area of the body, cooling skin down upon contact.
ClimaHeat: The ClimaHeat range has been engineered for athletes who require power insulation for
training in cold weather. The hollow-fibre fabrics are engineered with yarns that are built to have a hollow
core, allowing higher amounts of warm air to be trapped, which ensures greater insulation without adding
additional weight. The fibres also provide advanced moisture control by wicking sweat away from the body
and transporting it to the outer surface of the fabric.
•Manufacturing innovation
To simplify manufacturing, enable product innovation and bring the production of apparel and footwear
closer to the consumer, the adidas Group’s R&D activities are focused on new manufacturing technology.
Our goal is to combine state-of-the-art information technology with new manufacturing processes and
innovative products. For this reason, we commit ourselves to long-term cooperation with industry-leading
companies and organisations to take a leading role in manufacturing innovation.
Ongoing efforts and projects in this field include:
Speedfactory: Speedfactory combines the design and development of sporting goods with an automated,
decentralised and flexible manufacturing process. It includes intelligent robotic technology that not only
offers outstanding performance quality but also presents a unique design to the shoes. High-performance
sporting goods can be created faster than ever before by using automated manufacturing to bring
production to where the consumer is. Beyond that, Speedfactory will have a significant positive impact on
the environment by cutting down on shipping emissions, whilst drastically reducing the use of adhesives.
The first limited quantity of concept shoes comprising running footwear will be revealed in the first half of
2016, with high-volume production for consumers set to launch in the near future.