“For years our industry has been playing by the same rules manufacturing product remotely in Asia", stated adidas Group Executive Board Member Eric Liedtke, responsible for Global Brands, adding: “As the creator brand that challenges convention and looks to co-create the future with our consumers, we are obsessed with bringing all steps of the creation process home to America. We’re fueling design at the ground level of creativity in Brooklyn and reinventing manufacturing with the first adidas Speedfactory in Atlanta. This allows us to make product for the consumer, with the consumer, where the consumer lives in real time, unleashing unparalleled creativity and endless opportunities for customization in America.”

According to the sportswear giant the new facility will be equipped with cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, enabling adidas to create products in increasingly high volumes with advanced complexity in color, materials and sizes.
This will allow adidas to source and produce locally, limiting long shipping distances.

“Speed is far more than a business strategy for us”, commented adidas Group Executive Board Member Glenn Bennett, responsible for Global Operations, adding: “Speed is all around us. It’s what athletes train for, and it’s essential to our consumers who live in a world of immediacy. With the first US-based Speedfactory, we’re combining some of the world’s best technology and manufacturing processes to give our consumers access to constant newness. This is another big step in our ambition to become the world’s first true fast sports brand.”

The more than 74 000-square-foot Atlanta factory will be fully functional in the back-half of 2017. With a focus on running footwear, adidas is targeting production of 50 000 pairs in 2017. In the mid-term, adidas aims to produce half a million pairs of shoes and to create around 160 jobs.

The US factory complements adidas' first Speedfactory in Germany. The US and Germany facilities are operated by adidas’ strategic partner Oechsler.