Originally published with thewordmagazine.net
Putting your best foot forward may be essential in life, but perhaps nowhere is it more necessary than in the workplace. That’s why many companies who put the safety of their employees first are turning to Vietnam safety footwear manufacturers to outfit employees who might find themselves in harm’s way. But what exactly is safety footwear and why do Vietnam safety footwear manufacturers make some of the most desirable products?
Safety footwear manufacturers all make a very similar product – safety shoes (or safety boots) that are personal protective equipment for an employee’s feet in the workplace. This footwear is designed to prevent the wearer from being injured in the unfortunate event of a workplace accident – everything from slipping on a wet or sticky surface to preventing burns from a hot object, or exposure to electric wires or chemical spills. “Most frequently, the footwear serves as a barrier to protect the wearer from heavy falling or rolling objects, sharp edges of parts or equipment, being pierced by a pointed object or getting stuck in gears of rotary machinery,” stated Roger Lin, the Regional Sales Director for HS Footwear Co., a top international shoe manufacturer with facilities in Vietnam.
Since many users wear their safety footwear outside, it has to protect the wearer from the elements as well. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (or OSHA) requires employers to ensure that all at-risk employees use protective footwear in areas and situations where foot injuries are possible.
Originally, these shoes used to be called “steel toe” shoes for their distinctive steel toes. Today, they can be made out of a variety of cutting-edge materials that offer better protection – like aluminum alloys, composite materials, and even carbon fiber – and now protect much more of the foot that just toes.
Just how much of this cutting-edge footwear is being manufactured in Vietnam? A staggering amount, according to The General Statistics Office of Vietnam, which noted that the nation’s footwear exports have increased 21.9 percent year over year, reaching $2.85 billion in U.S. dollars. Fueling the increase are rising labor costs in China and the increasing standards of living in the EU and globally, that are boosting demand.
What’s more, as potential tariffs on shoes made in China loom, manufacturers are moving more and more production to Vietnam safety footwear manufacturers to keep costs low while maintaining quality. In fact, major U.S. firms like Nike, Puma and Adidas have already shifted key portions of manufacturing to Vietnam, which according to World Footwear Magazine, ranked second among the ten largest footwear exporters in 2017 with a staggering 1.02 billion pairs of shoes, or 7.4 percent of the global footwear supply.
So, for affordable production from an established industry that’s already a global leader that will keep companies away from potential tariff issues, consider outsourcing to Vietnam safety footwear manufacturers as your next step.