Vintage Machinery and Modern Maintenance

One of the challenges of working with traditional manufacturing methods is the upkeep and maintenance of the machinery associated with these processes.  Two of the oldest and rarest machines in our factory are used to create the Channelled Insole found on all of our Goodyear Welted footwear. After recently encountering some issues with these machines we had to resort to a very modern solution to get them back up and running.  We worked closely with Camosun Technology Access Centre Innovate Lab to scan and 3D print specific pieces from both machines that had worn out beyond repair and are no longer in production. This local partnership has provided us with a sustainable solution to our problem and allowed us to preserve this traditional technique through modern innovation.  The approach of combining the old and new in a unique way is essential to our company’s ethos and has come to define our product. We’ve included photos of these custom fabricated pieces alongside magazine advertisements from the 1920’s which highlight the machinery and process we are still using today.