Nike Air Max 95
Advantages of traditional shoe manufacturing
  1. Industry standard process.
  2. Can produce large quantities at low cost with consistent industry-level quality.
  3. Uses an existing supply chain with established companies and skilled labor.
  4. Can support a wide range of shoe designs and materials.
Disadvantages
  1. Long lead times.
  2. High upfront costs.
  3. Designers must closely monitor production to ensure quality.
  4. Communication challenges due to language, culture, and time zone differences.
  5. Import challenges, including tariffs.
  6. Complex production. A simple shoe can have 50 parts and involve hundreds or thousands of workers.
  7. Requires factories with many specialized tools and machines, such as shoe lasts, fabric cutters, presses, two-roll mills, and toe-lasting machines.
Nike Air Max 1000
Advantages of 3D printed manufacturing
  1. Easy and low-cost prototyping of new shoe designs.
  2. Enables unique design possibilities. 3D printing supports complexity. For example, an embossed logo can be added at no extra cost.
  3. Simple production using a print farm of custom 3D printers.
  4. Uses a small number of common materials.
  5. Consistent production quality.
  6. Custom shoes can be made to order.
Disadvantages (as currently implemented)
  1. Limited range of materials, processes, and colors, which limits design options.
  2. Long turnaround times for all orders, including prototypes.
  3. High production costs.
  4. Limited production quantities.
Vision