Manufacturing & ProductionISCO 1321

Footwear production manager

A footwear production manager is a person who plans and coordinates every stage of making shoes, from the cut parts arriving at the first bench to the finished pairs leaving the factory.

Check yourself in a minute: footwear production manager

Rate 5 of the 26 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

plan footwear manufacture

reduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturing

plan supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goods

manage production of footwear or leather goods

prepare footwear samples

About footwear production manager

The work falls into planning and control. The manager divides the work across the production phases, allocates people and machines to each, and sequences them, coordinating the activities of the different manufacturing phases. Output targets and productivity targets are set in advance, and the manager works the schedule against them. Quality standards are applied at each phase rather than at the end.

The role needs the technical ground as well as the planning. The manager knows footwear production technology, the pre-assembly of uppers, the adhesive-based joining processes by which soles and uppers are bonded, and footwear finishing techniques, and reads the technical documentation that specifies each model. Supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goods are planned here too.

Health and safety in the workplace belongs to the post, as does communicating clearly across a floor where many workers do repetitive, precise tasks. Formal requirements are set by the employer.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (26)

health and safety in the workplacehealth and safety in the workplaceThe body of rules, procedures and regulations related to safety, health and welfare of people in their workplace.pre-stitching processes and techniques for footwear and leather goodspre-stitching processes and techniques for footwear and leather goodsTechnology including machinery and techniques for the preparation for leather goods components and footwear uppers.manual cutting processes for leathermanual cutting processes for leatherCutting rules, variance of the leather properties on its surface and elongation directions of the footwear pieces.footwear stitching techniquesfootwear stitching techniquesThe technologies, equipment, machines and processes for closing the upper components of footwear by various seams such as closed, lapped, butted, welted, piped and moccasin.footwear manufacturing technologyfootwear manufacturing technologyFootwear processes technology and machinery involved. The footwear manufacturing starts in the cutting/clicking room , cutting the uppers and bottom components. The upper components are joined togethe...footwear qualityfootwear qualityQuality specifications of materials, processes and final products, the most common defects in footwear, quick tests procedures, laboratory tests procedures and standards, adequate equipment for qualit...plan footwear manufactureplan footwear manufactureDesign the manufacturing process for each footwear model. Plan the stages of footwear manufacturing and operations for production. Plan the usage of materials and footwear components. Select machines ...reduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturingreduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturingAssess the environmental impact of footwear manufacture and minimise environmental risks. Reduce environmentally harmful work practices in different stages of the footwear manufacturing.plan supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goodsplan supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goodsPlan, organise and monitor logistics and supply chain activities based on the footwear or leather goods company's main objectives regarding quality, cost, delivery, and flexibility.communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languagescommunicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languagesSpeak one or more foreign languages in order to communicate commercial and technical issues with various suppliers and clients.manage production of footwear or leather goodsmanage production of footwear or leather goodsPlan the production of footwear or leather goods according to the company’s objectives, deadlines and available resources. Distribute, coordinate and control all activities and the various production ...use communication techniquesuse communication techniquesApply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.prepare footwear samplesprepare footwear samplesCreate, test and verify prototypes or samples of footwear against a predefined set of criteria throughout all stages of the manufacturing process. Revise the initial design concepts and implement tech...work in textile manufacturing teamswork in textile manufacturing teamsWork harmoniously with colleagues in teams in the textile and clothing manufacturing industries.use technical documentationuse technical documentationUnderstand and use technical documentation in the overall technical process.use IT toolsuse IT toolsApplication of computers, computer networks and other information technologies and equipment to storing, retrieving, transmitting and manipulating data, in the context of a business or enterprise.footwear finishing techniquesfootwear finishing techniquesThe related machinery, tools, chemicals and mechanical finishing procedures applied to footwear manufacturing.assembling processes and techniques for cemented footwear constructionassembling processes and techniques for cemented footwear constructionTechnology, equipment, machines and tools for lasting and soling in case of cemented footwear constructions.footwear uppers pre-assemblyfootwear uppers pre-assemblyThe equipment and techniques used for pre-assembling operations of uppers in the footwear industry.assembling processes and techniques for california footwear constructionassembling processes and techniques for california footwear constructionTechnology, equipment, machines and tools for assembling california footwear construction type.assembling processes and techniques for goodyear footwear constructionassembling processes and techniques for goodyear footwear constructionTechnology, equipment, machines and tools for assembling Goodyear footwear construction types.calculate the productivity of the production of footwear and leather goodscalculate the productivity of the production of footwear and leather goodsAnalyse the footwear and leather goods production capacity and collect information concerning human and technological resources. Follow the production process and make adjustments to the work methods ...footwear materialsfootwear materialsThe characteristics, components, advantages and limitations of a wide range of materials used in footwear production: leather, leather substitutes (synthetics or artificial materials), textile, plasti...footwear bottoms pre-assemblyfootwear bottoms pre-assemblyThe equipment and techniques used for the preparation of bottom components in the footwear industry, including soles, heels, insoles, etc.innovate in footwear and leather goods industryinnovate in footwear and leather goods industryInnovate in the footwear and leather goods sector. Evaluate new ideas and concepts to turn them into marketable products. Use entrepreneurial thinking in all stages of the product and process developm...footwear componentsfootwear componentsFootwear components both for uppers (vamps, quarters, linings, stiffeners, toe puffs etc.) and bottoms (soles, heels, insoles etc.). Ecological concerns and the importance of recycling. Selection of s...
Optional (13) — show
footwear equipmentsfootwear equipmentsFunctionality of the wide range of equipments and the basic rules of regular maintenance.footwear machineryfootwear machineryThe functionality of the wide range of footwear machines, and the basic rules of regular maintenance.footwear creation processfootwear creation processFootwear creation projects starting from inspiration to technical design and manufacturing by following several stages. Latest trends in footwear materials, components, processes, and concepts.operate automatic cutting systems for footwear and leather goodsoperate automatic cutting systems for footwear and leather goodsWork with the equipment's software. Digitise and mark the leather areas with faults in order to avoid them. Establish nesting and cutting restrictions for each pattern. Pick up, sort, upload patterns,...manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.apply footwear bottoms pre-assembling techniquesapply footwear bottoms pre-assembling techniquesSplit, scour surfaces, reduce sole edges, rough, brush, apply primings, halogenate the soles, degrease etc. Use both manual dexterity and machinery. When using machines, adjust their working parameter...apply machine cutting techniques for footwear and leather goodsapply machine cutting techniques for footwear and leather goodsAdjust and establish the machine technical operating parameters for cutting footwear and leather goods. Check and select the cutting dies, classification of the cut pieces against cutting restrictions...apply assembling techniques for cemented footwear constructionapply assembling techniques for cemented footwear constructionBe able to pull the uppers over the last and fix the lasting allowance on insole, manually or by special machines for forepart lasting, waist lasting, and seat lasting. Apart from the main group of la...coordinate assembling room in footwear manufacturingcoordinate assembling room in footwear manufacturingCoordinate the flow of materials and footwear components. Manage orders and organise the activity of the assembling room. Distribute machinery, operations and workers. Manage and optimise production a...determine footwear warehouse layoutdetermine footwear warehouse layoutSelect the suitable warehouse layouts according to the specific conditions of the footwear company. Plan the warehouse layout. Implement the warehouse management system.manage footwear quality systemsmanage footwear quality systemsManage the company quality system. Create or elaborate the quality manual. Carry out the established requirements and objectives included in the quality policy. Foster internal and external communicat...coordinate cutting room in footwear manufacturingcoordinate cutting room in footwear manufacturingCoordinate the flow of materials and footwear components. Manage orders and organise the activity of the cutting room. Distribute machinery, operations and workers. Manage and optimise production and ...automatic cutting systems for footwear and leather goodsautomatic cutting systems for footwear and leather goodsThe use and description of automatic systems technologies used in footwear and leather goods industry such as laser cutting, knife cutting, punch cutting, mill cutting, ultra-sound cutting, water jet ...

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Frequently asked questions

What does a footwear production manager do?

Footwear production managers plan, distribute, and coordinate all necessary activities of the different footwear manufacturing phases ensuring the adherence to quality standards and production and productivity pre-defined goals.

What skills does a footwear production manager need?

A footwear production manager needs 26 essential skills, including health and safety in the workplace, pre-stitching processes and techniques for footwear and leather goods, manual cutting processes for leather, footwear stitching techniques, footwear manufacturing technology.

Will AI replace footwear production manager jobs?

The AI disruption score for footwear production manager is 34/100 (low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: calculate the productivity of the production of footwear and leather goods, determine footwear warehouse layout, manage budgets. Most resilient: footwear uppers pre-assembly, pre-stitching processes and techniques for footwear and leather goods, automatic cutting systems for footwear and leather goods.

Quick Facts

ISCO GroupProduction and specialised services managers
Essential Skills26

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