Leading Italian sock knitting machine manufacturer Cesare Colosio showed its S1+ knitting machine for the production of shoe uppers for the first time at an exhibition in Asia, at last month’s ITMA Asia + CITME in Shanghai.

The S1+ is a circular knitting machine based on Colosio’s Argyle Intarsia sock knitting technology that the company says has triggered a new technological standard that is becoming increasingly widespread in the world. It aims to meet the unprecedented global demand for sports and fashion shoes with knitted uppers.

Although, this was the first time the company exhibited the S1+ in China, the machine has actually been in the market for the past two years and there are already more than 300 machines in production in China for many of the leading brands.

Speaking at the exhibition, company owner Fabiana Colosio said: “We are deighted with the response to our S1+ technology here at the show, although our technology is already well known in China. Many of our Chinese customers and the leading shoe brands have visited us.”

Fabian, then went on to comment on the S1+ technology: “When we look at mass production the relevant technological innovation is the one capable to bring tangible benefits on a large scale in a short time. All this is in fact summarized in a single code – S1+.”

“The S1+ machine, as well as the complete textile process and concept for the upper manufacturing, are protected by copyright. Whoever chooses the originality and the uniqueness of the S1+ machine will take a long and safe evolutionary step. The license holder for the upper manufacturing is in fact the company Cesare Colosio. Only the customers buying Colosio S1+ can produce knitted uppers with the argyle concept.”

High performance

According to the Brescia based company, the S1+ system accelerates performance with unprecedented results - a shoe upper can be produced every 5 to 7 minutes.

This is however, only one of several advantages of Colosio’s innovative technology, which does not exclude flexibility. Fabiana Colosio explains: “From technical sports shoes to fashion footwear for leisure time, S1+ meets the needs of the most important brands who appreciate its versatility as a factor of competitiveness, since the machine enables the production of uppers for any kind of application.”

The S1+ allows the manufacture of shoe uppers formed of independent zones, each composed of one or more yarns with different elastic properties, mechanical resistance and performance, according to the desired final effect.

This Colosio says, enables endless designs and colour combinations, without producing any waste whatsoever. The S1+ eliminates waste in a very sustainable way, the company says, both from an economic and an environmental point of view, offering a system which reduces consumption and enhances production.

“The true Argyle system, is the only way that allows the manufacture of a 3D upper with different areas according to yarn type and colour, thus ensuring a perfect adherence to the foot and ultimate comfort. This is also why our technology has been immediately appreciated by the most famous brands worldwide. We have 50 years of experience with this way of knitting.”

Strengths

According to Colosio, in addition to speed, flexibility and zero waste, its new technology also offers other important strengths. The resultant supply chain is said to be streamlined, with consequent cost reductions. “The operator can easily create three-dimensional areas and eyelets for the laces, which will form a whole with the upper, directly on the S1+ machine during the upper production. The S1+ guarantees quality, reliability and maximum simplicity in use, thus allowing optimization of production times and costs,” the company explains.

“The S1+ is simply the latest step in a long thread linking Colosio’s sixty years of history along a process of continuous evolution, where the adoption of new technologies, including the digitalisation of manufacturing and management processes, is the engine of development.”

www.colosio.it