Design solution of shoe sole (Base of the footwear) preparation in traditional hand sewn footwear manufacturing: A case study on kolhapuri chappal

Abstract

The footwear industry is an important segment of the leather industry. India ranks second among the footwear manufacturing countries next to China. The footwear manufacturing occupies a place of significance in the Indian economy in view of its huge potential for employment, development and exports. Many of the operations in these industries are manual. Inconsistency between operator’s physical competencies and demands of physical task to operate tools/equipment often leads to poor performance, low productivity and safety problems. Among all other footwear, “Kolhapuri Chappal” is one of the elegant and traditional handmade craft in India. During filed observation, it was found that few steps of the manufacturing process require intervention, as these processes were not-effective and time consuming without making significant effect on the craft. Among those steps shoe sole preparation was major. Intervention developed based on that. The result of the study revealed that the newly developed tool was effective in preparation of shoe sole in Kolhapuri Chappal manufacturing. The posture adopted during the use of new tool also analyzed and found that it was beneficial for the workers.