{"id":29044,"date":"2018-11-12T17:16:24","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T22:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/"},"modified":"2018-11-14T13:03:45","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T18:03:45","slug":"the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u201cOne day, consumers will be able to buy a shoe design file from Nike and 3D print the shoe themselves\u201d<\/em>\u2013 Erick Sprunk, Nike COO1<\/sup><\/p>\n

As clearly recognized by Nike, the American sportswear giant, 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) is the future, both to optimize its production process and to continue to produce the most innovative sports apparel available. The company views additive manufacturing as a key strategic lever to achieve its goal of \u201cscaling technology to deliver greater performance innovation faster\u201d and \u201cexplore new ways to manufacture performance products to help athletes reach their full potential\u201d2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Thus far, the main application of additive manufacturing has been in footwear. In this space, additive manufacturing can improve Nike\u2019s production processes, for example through further eliminating costly labor and faster prototyping increasing its speed to market4<\/sup>. Shoes\u2019 performance can be enhanced through \u2013 among others \u2013 lighter, more breathable components, fewer frictional resistance between yarns and the enablement of data-driven customization2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

But Nike is not alone. Traditional competitors in the footwear space like Adidas and New Balance are doubling down on their additive manufacturing capabilities5<\/sup>, and new competition is arriving from crowdfunded 3D printed shoe manufacturers like Wiivv and OLT Footcare6<\/sup>.\u00a0In response, Nike has partnered with multinational information technology company HP to accelerate its additive manufacturing innovation processes2<\/sup>. With current regular updates on its latest solutions, the future may be just around the corner \u2013 if not already here.<\/p>\n

Nike has been filing patents for several additive manufacturing techniques improving its production processes. Most notably, in 2012 the company has filed a patent for \u201cautomated strobel printing\u201d, a process that was previously highly labor-intensive4<\/sup>. By 2018, Nike stated its 3D printed prototyping process is 16 times quicker than \u201cany previous manufacturing method7<\/sup>\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 2016 the company announced its first more revolutionary product innovation,introducing customized 3D printed shoes for top atheletes2<\/sup>. In 2016, Nike produced a 3D printed track shoe for sprinter Allyson Felix2<\/sup>. At the Olympics of that year, Felix won two golden medals \u2013 one less than at her previous Olympics8<\/sup>. A year later, runner Eliud Kipchoge attempted to break his own world record for the fastest marathon ever wearing Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elites running shoes \u2013 the first shoe with a 3D printed \u201cupper\u201d9<\/sup>. Although Kichoge came in first place, he did not break his record10<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

The outcomes of these initial \u201creal-world\u201d testing of the 3D printed shoes do not seem to demotivate Nike. Rather, the company has strong processes in place to continue improving the performance of the shoes. For example, after Kichoge\u2019s race, Nike gathered detailed feedback, and has since altered the composition of the 3D printed upper material to absorb less water9<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

In the short term, Nike has stated to continue focusing on footwear for distance runners7<\/sup>. Nike is likely focusing on finding a way to attach the shoe\u2019s upper to the midsole strobel, another labor-intensive process they admitted to currently be beyond the scope of their patent4<\/sup>. The company will also roll out its 3D printed shoes to more athletes to optimize the shoes\u2019 performance.<\/p>\n

In the medium-term, Nike will be looking for ways to bringing customized 3D printed shoes to customers beyond elite athletes. With its product capabilities in place, the focus will be on scaling the production while reducing costs to a level that consumers will find acceptable. Additionally, Nike has announced the next application for its additive manufacturing will be shoes for the NFL11<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Nike is clearly on its way to capitalize on the opportunity additive manufacturing brings to the sportswear industry and is turning its capabilities into competitive advantage. However, in my opinion the Nike management is too focused in its applications of the 3D printing technique; posing possible threats in areas currently left behind. To ensure they remain the world\u2019s leading sportswear manufacturer, Nike\u2019s management should free up resources to broaden up the applications of additive manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, they should accelerate the roll out of 3D printed footwear to soccer. Soccer is currently Nike\u2019s 5th largest income stream3<\/sup>. Additionally, Nike\u2019s performance in soccer has a large impact on its overall brand recognition and equity \u2013 especially outside the US. Failing to launch 3D printed high performance footwear in this industry could cause serious setbacks in Nike\u2019s continuous head-to-head battle in the soccer space with competitor Adidas.<\/p>\n

The question remains however how broad exactly the management should go. Should Nike perfect its footwear capabilities across sports before moving to 3D printed equipment such as tennis rackets, soccer balls and golf clubs? Failing to move into these applications timely risks the company losing ground as the all-round player in the sports industry. On the other hand, spreading its resources to thinly might slow down innovation in the footwear industry where Nike undergoes heavy competition from dedicated players who do not have to make such trade-offs.<\/p>\n

(798 words)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Soper, 2015.Nike COO: You\u2019ll soon be able to make shoes at your home with a 3D printer.\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/www.geekwire.com\/2015\/nike-coo-youll-soon-be-able-to-make-shoes-at-your-home-with-a-3d-printer\/<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  2. Nike, 2016. At Nike the Future is Faster, and it\u2019s 3D. <\/em>https:\/\/news.nike.com\/news\/nike-hp-3d-printing<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  3. McFarlane, 2018. How Nike Makes Money. <\/em>https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/articles\/markets\/080415\/how-nike-nke-makes-its-money.asp<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  4. Nelson, 2015. Nike was just granted a key patent for 3D printed shoe technology. <\/em>https:\/\/www.digitaltrends.com\/cool-tech\/nike-patents-3d-printed-shoe-technology\/<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  5. Peels, 2017. If the Shoe Fits: 3D Printing and the Future of Manufacturing Footwear. https:\/\/3dprint.com\/174833\/3d-printing-future-of-footwear\/<\/a><\/em>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  6. Scott, 2017. Prodways Introduces New 3D Printed Footwear Materials and Solutions, Collaborates with Nike. https:\/\/3dprint.com\/177120\/prodways-3d-printed-footwear\/<\/a><\/em>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  7. Nike, 2018. What is Nike Flyprint? <\/em>https:\/\/news.nike.com\/news\/nike-flyprint-3d-printed-textile<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  8. Olympic, 2016. Alysson Felix overview.https:\/\/www.olympic.org\/allyson-felix<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  9. Morby, 2018. Nike unveils \u2018world\u2019s first\u2019 running shoes with 3D-printed uppers. <\/em>https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2018\/04\/21\/nike-unveils-3d-printed-running-shoes-london-marathon\/<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  10. Scott, 2018. Nike introduces Flyprint Running shoes with First 3D printed upper. <\/em>https:\/\/3dprint.com\/tag\/nike\/<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n
  11. Del Nibletto, 2017. Nike teams up with HP to 3D print shoes for the NFL. <\/em>https:\/\/www.itbusiness.ca\/news\/nike-teams-up-with-hp-to-3d-print-shoes-for-the-nfl\/96745<\/a>accessed November 12th<\/sup>, 2018.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Assessing the path towards 3D printing your customized Nikes at home <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11136,"featured_media":36871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"class_list":["post-29044","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","hck-taxonomy-organization-nike","hck-taxonomy-industry-sports","hck-taxonomy-country-united-states"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/rc-tom-challenge-2018\/","yoast_head":"\nThe Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home - Technology and Operations Management<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home - Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Assessing the path towards 3D printing your customized Nikes at home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technology and Operations Management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-14T18:03:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home - Technology and Operations Management\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-12T22:16:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-14T18:03:45+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Submissions\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/submission\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/\",\"name\":\"Technology and Operations Management\",\"description\":\"MBA Student Perspectives\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"性视界Action\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/d3.harvard.edu\\\/platform-rctom\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home - Technology and Operations Management","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home - Technology and Operations Management","og_description":"Assessing the path towards 3D printing your customized Nikes at home","og_url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/","og_site_name":"Technology and Operations Management","article_modified_time":"2018-11-14T18:03:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/","name":"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home - Technology and Operations Management","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg","datePublished":"2018-11-12T22:16:24+00:00","dateModified":"2018-11-14T18:03:45+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/20160315_fy16_inno_snowcap_silver_hero_0029_native_1600.jpg","width":1200,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-future-at-nike-3d-printing-customized-shoes-at-home\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Submissions","item":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Future at Nike: 3D printing customized shoes at home"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/","name":"Technology and Operations Management","description":"MBA Student Perspectives","potentialAction":[{"@type":"性视界Action","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/29044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/hck-submission"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hck-submission\/29044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}