LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A robot that once required 60 workers to complete a job now finishes the same task in minutes at the nation’s first AI-powered, semi-automated sneaker factory.
Summitz Footwear Inc., located in Henderson, uses advanced automation and three robotic arms to manufacture shoes with precision that was once done entirely by hand.
“This production line on one shift will do 150,000 pairs in one year,” said Scott Miller, CEO of Summitz Footwear Inc.
How the technology works
The company’s production lines rely on patented advanced automation that ensures glue securing the shoe sole is evenly dispersed. The technology cuts a 60-person production line to just 10 workers.
Miller said the efficiency allows the company to move workers into higher-paying salaried positions faster.
“We can train a worker within one week’s time to get them to know how to do production on sneakers,” Miller said.
Expansion plans for Las Vegas
Miller and company president Allen Li want to transform Las Vegas from a service-oriented economy to include manufacturing over the next decade.
“Las Vegas has always been known as a casino industry service oriented business,” Miller said.
The company plans significant expansion in the coming years.
“By the next three to five years, we plan on 50 production lines with the output of 20 million pairs of shoes a year here in Las Vegas,” Miller said.
Market opportunity
With the global sneaker market projected to surpass $120 billion by next year, shoe brands face mounting pressure to localize production and shorten lead times. Summitz Footwear can address both challenges.
“We would like to change it around and make it shoe city, we’ll make it the shoe capital of the United States,” Miller said.
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