How Taiwan Makes Your Shoes

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  • Опубліковано 17 жов 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 130

  • @drewwollin3462
    @drewwollin3462 2 роки тому +66

    Very good as always. I admire how you are able to research and produce these high-quality videos each week. I am a retired business academic and would have loved having these videos available for when I was teaching in the MBA or for my own research.

    • @kayakMike1000
      @kayakMike1000 2 роки тому +3

      Yeah, they are pretty damn good. I am an engineer and still find them interesting.

  • @ldavidtw2000
    @ldavidtw2000 2 роки тому +68

    I'm Taiwanese and this company was famous when I was a kid. We were poor af so there are a ton of startups like this that grew big, some of them are nice while others are basically sweatshops. Most usually employ a large amount of low wage workers from Southeast Asia nowadays to keep the cost low because domestic people don't want to work there anymore. the cycle continues.

    • @alexanderphilip1809
      @alexanderphilip1809 2 роки тому +1

      An incomplete cycle.

    • @ldavidtw2000
      @ldavidtw2000 2 роки тому +1

      @Artistic Cat yes but just like US there are split opinions, though both parties in TW are mid-conservative by US standards. They’re ok and good portion of them are pretty cool, while others are a-holes. So you know, it kinda depends on who you meet personally and which TV channels you watch. I would say they’ve only taken the jobs that domestic people really don’t want to do, so there isn’t a huge backlash tbh, just a grumble so to speak.

    • @王子洋-u9z
      @王子洋-u9z 2 роки тому +2

      The only reason why those manufactures have to move to lower wage countries because most of the consumers only want to buy lower price shoe, if consumers willing to pay twice price to buy shoe I think those manufactures will 100% stay at their own country instead of take risk and move their factories to lower wage third world countries.

  • @pdsnpsnldlqnop3330
    @pdsnpsnldlqnop3330 2 роки тому +49

    Fun fact: Asian shoes sizes are different to European shoe sizes. The size can either be the size of the shoe or the size of the last. Guess what the European sizes measure and guess what the Asian suppliers measure?
    Deluxe Italian brands outsource production to the other side of the Adriatic. But they bring the uppers and the soles back to Italy, combine the two parts and, hey presto, you have a shoe that is 'Made In Italy'. But is it really?
    The most interesting footwear is in cycling where you haven't got this leather and cardboard going on. You have carbon fibre and other space age materials. Everything else is Stone Age in comparison. These products make you wonder why leather is so popular. However, in the cycling footwear business there are different requirements and some normal requirements don't matter. For instance scuff resistance, this doesn't matter on a bike.
    A recent cycling specific innovation is where you get a custom fit. The cycling shop has a small oven supplied by the brand. This is used so that the insole can be baked into the fit needed by a specific customer. They try the shoe on first, the inner adapts to their foot (well, feet) and then the oven sets the shape permanently.
    Expect materials and technology from the cycling footwear business to filter down to normal civilian shoes over the years to come.

  • @kyoko703
    @kyoko703 2 роки тому +9

    For you my good sir, I let the ad roll play all the way through. You get that cheddar man!!!!

  • @ntabile
    @ntabile 2 роки тому +5

    My first Adidas shoes in the 70s were made in Formosa.
    I'm not kidding; the tag below the tag shoes indicates that.

  • @Sedna063
    @Sedna063 2 роки тому +14

    It’s 1:30 where I live and instead of sleeping, I am watching a video about a shoemaker in Taiwan. Strange world

    • @gogogadget1855
      @gogogadget1855 2 роки тому +1

      Internet leads to strange circumstances. Hearing stuff about my home country makes me learn so much more about it.

  • @MrTonypace
    @MrTonypace 2 роки тому +9

    I worked for them briefly, on the marketing team for their custom CNC controller software. They had a custom solution for cutting 2d parts to form into a 3d shape - for cutting uppers and especially for the interface with the sole. They wanted to sell it generally but didn't have a lot of takers other than a few obvious loss leaders. I jumped out quickly but always wonder what happened with that team.

  • @ANTALIFE
    @ANTALIFE 2 роки тому +6

    Another super informative video, so many thanks! Also it's so cool to see just how complex an everyday object like a sports shoe is, like I would have never though about it until you broke down just how many "components" are required in the "assembly" ;^)

    • @raylopez99
      @raylopez99 2 роки тому +2

      And the glue often gives out, after a few years of not using the shoe, especially in a humid country like found in SE Asia, and the soles of your shoe fall off while you are walking. Nice!

    • @ANTALIFE
      @ANTALIFE 2 роки тому +1

      @@raylopez99 Yea... Adam Savage's Every Tool's a Hammer goes over this problem, like getting glue right is especially tricky when the two materials you are trying to fasten differ in physical/chemical properties

  • @middle_pickup
    @middle_pickup 2 роки тому +23

    Thank you for making this video. Inexpensive goods have a human cost attached to them, and it is hidden from the consumer intentionally.

    • @thioga1
      @thioga1 2 роки тому +3

      Nowadays even "expensive" brands have the same costs, just look at iphones or any "high fashion" brand.

    • @middle_pickup
      @middle_pickup 2 роки тому

      @@thioga1 totally true. Capitalism is a race to the bottom, and brings that same perverse incentive structure with a real human cost to all jobs it touches.

    • @thioga1
      @thioga1 2 роки тому

      @@middle_pickup not capitalism, just the human nature by itself amplified by this rape babie of communism and capitalism we live in.

    • @agenericaccount3935
      @agenericaccount3935 2 роки тому

      I know about the costs. I still buy.
      Not my humans.

  • @MelodyLiao808
    @MelodyLiao808 2 роки тому +2

    Yay! Thanks for this video Asianometry!!

  • @lord_khufu
    @lord_khufu 2 роки тому +1

    yup we live in southeast asia and my mom working making shoes like this to keep me fed, i think she's been at it for 13 years now

  • @Paulkjoss
    @Paulkjoss 2 роки тому +3

    More random info I didn’t know I needed to know - thanks Asianometry 😁

  • @CarlosGarcia-cx8gz
    @CarlosGarcia-cx8gz 2 роки тому +1

    Congratulations, as always, a very insightful article. We must consider, cheap has a lot of hidden costs that other less fortunate people pay. May I suggest one about the YKK zipper. This humble part is present in a wide range of items.

  • @lolkthnxbai
    @lolkthnxbai 2 роки тому +4

    As someone who recently switched from plastic and foam sneakers to leather and cork boots, this is especially fascinated to know the history behind the birth of one and death of another.

    • @eliasross4576
      @eliasross4576 2 роки тому +1

      I’ve been buying leather shoes from small Indonesia shops that advertise on Instagram. They are fairly affordable for shoes that are well made and should last for many years. I got tired of disposable footwear myself.

  • @MrMilkman29
    @MrMilkman29 2 роки тому +4

    Great video! You should also consider looking into the topic of IPU's (Intelligence Processing Units) for a future video, and in particular Intel's and Graphcore's role in the current market. They seem to have the potential in the coming years to seriously compete against NVIDIA's GPU's in the AI and deep learning field, it'd be very interesting to see what you find about it as it currently stands.

  • @imperatoreTomas
    @imperatoreTomas 2 роки тому

    Do more videos like this even if you think they're not as good as your semi videos. I love them. These types of videos give your audience a grander picture of Asia.

  • @Hectico2257
    @Hectico2257 2 роки тому +5

    It's interesting that like Taiwan/Japan/Korea/PRC were able to latch on to these industries and climb the value chain away from US/Euro production and be so successful.
    Never seems to the case in say Latin America or Russia

    • @makisekurisu4674
      @makisekurisu4674 2 роки тому +1

      The answer is corruption and instability also the nature of the working people.

    • @azuaraikrezeul1677
      @azuaraikrezeul1677 2 роки тому +1

      have you seen eastern europeans work? they expect to be paid like western europeans but their out put is equivalent to a third world worker. no wonder they got left behind by east asians.

    • @aravindpallippara1577
      @aravindpallippara1577 2 роки тому +1

      @@azuaraikrezeul1677 clearly, western workers output is far superior to everyone else....
      Private companies hate instability, that should be sufficient explanation for why eastern Europe has trouble grabbing labour intensive industry

    • @azuaraikrezeul1677
      @azuaraikrezeul1677 2 роки тому +1

      @@aravindpallippara1577 it's not even politacl instability it's their work attitutde in general.

    • @Hectico2257
      @Hectico2257 2 роки тому

      @@makisekurisu4674 is what about "their nature" are you talking about? Something about the east Asian race is just better ?

  • @speedzero7478
    @speedzero7478 2 роки тому

    2:38 looks like Onitsuka! Love these shoes

  • @offensiveexplosion
    @offensiveexplosion 2 роки тому +8

    Sometimes even the semi industry is part of the BOM of athletic shoes, imagine that.

    • @prirority
      @prirority 2 роки тому +2

      two months ago wtf

    • @VioletPrism
      @VioletPrism 2 роки тому +1

      @@prirority patreon sub I think

  • @capmidnite
    @capmidnite 2 роки тому +10

    One side effect of the collapse of the American shoe manufacturing industry is that the few Made in USA shoe brands that are left have become highly desirable worldwide, with a cult following (especially in East Asia). Brands such as Red Wing boots and New Balance.

    • @wackychicken
      @wackychicken 2 роки тому +3

      The majority of new balance lines are made abroad

    • @raylopez99
      @raylopez99 2 роки тому +1

      What about that Wolverine brand of workboot from WI/MI? Or Doc Stompers?

    • @azuaraikrezeul1677
      @azuaraikrezeul1677 2 роки тому +1

      @@raylopez99 made in vietnam. saw a factory that made doc stompers.

    • @aravindpallippara1577
      @aravindpallippara1577 2 роки тому +1

      Not into footwear, but still haven't heard of them at all

  • @metagen77
    @metagen77 2 роки тому +3

    "no one makes a running shoe for fun" lol

  • @j.y.8054
    @j.y.8054 2 роки тому +11

    It's interesting how Taiwan has been able to retain many low value industries in textiles and electronics thanks to its low nominal wages. It's a double edged sword that keeps jobs in the country but incentivizes chronically low wages.

  • @MaddyBee
    @MaddyBee 2 роки тому

    Really cool and interesting video! Should have more views

  • @keithng5249
    @keithng5249 2 роки тому +2

    Hey this is really interesting~! I didn't think that you would go into something so labour intensive. I'm actually from the furniture industry and I run a factory in China. Singapore has also a very strong manufacturing tradition. In many ways they are the same; labour intensive, require skilled workers, and trend of OEM and exporting to the western countries etc.

  • @andersjjensen
    @andersjjensen 2 роки тому +4

    Huh!... I thought sports shoes were completely automated in production by now. I figured that maybe someone had to put the shoe laces in at the most...

  • @GCNavigator
    @GCNavigator 2 роки тому

    Amazingly informative.

  • @gordonw4542
    @gordonw4542 2 роки тому

    Hi Jon, This is wonderful new topic. Thank you for the history lesson I really appreciated. Can you please the do same for the Taiwanese bicycle business ? People forget how important and innovated Taiwanese bicycle manufacture were..

  • @Troy-ol5fk
    @Troy-ol5fk 2 роки тому

    When I was in high school I passed by a building called 鞋城(shoe castle) on my way to school everyday

  • @leahquispe4569
    @leahquispe4569 2 роки тому

    In Kutztown PA there is an old shoe factory....

  • @zillsburyy1
    @zillsburyy1 4 місяці тому +1

    they make good shoes!

  • @iffn
    @iffn 2 роки тому +7

    Very interesting video. Is the reason for this lack of automation a technical issue or is there just enough cheap labor and customers don't care about the workers compensation?
    I would assume that the automation process could open up new possibilities such as mass producing custom fit shoes. For example: Scan your feet once, choose a design online and receive a perfectly fitting product.

    • @thioga1
      @thioga1 2 роки тому +1

      Enough cheap labour plus if those people aren't working they might start thinking about bad things like not following leadership.

    • @Wat3va
      @Wat3va 2 роки тому +4

      The shoemaker market is extremely labor intensive. The machines we have can't do fine adjustments on the leather/fabric, nor use the minimum amount of glue, for example, when joining the sole. There are too many finicky stuff for a machine to do well. I'm a small supplier of glue, soles, leather, shoelaces in my city and mostly serve shoemakers (the ones that fix your shoe) but I do occasionally serve a small factory here and there.

    • @thioga1
      @thioga1 2 роки тому

      @@Wat3va the thing is if there weren't 7billion humans on earth providing cheap labour there would've been bigger incentives and more surplus resources per capita for making machines to replace said cheap labour even if the machines were a bit less efficient than humans.

    • @Wat3va
      @Wat3va 2 роки тому +4

      @@thioga1 The issue with a machine is the quality of the end product. Extra glue sips out. Badly stretched fabric/leather leads to a bad shoe/boot. Leather needs to be hammered in place to be able to conform to the sole. There are too many steps in making a shoe that it needs real hands on it. Sure, you can automate the stamping (cutting) of the fabric/leather, automate the stitching, automate the production of the soles, but when it comes to mating those two together, well, here's the hard part. Also, those two mentioned are already automated.

    • @thioga1
      @thioga1 2 роки тому +2

      @@Wat3va I think you missed the point I tried to make, I didn't say that it was easy, I said that if there weren't a massive amount of cheap labour available it would've been automated as it would eventually become cheaper to automate than to hire people, those kinds of jobs exist more as a way to keep people doing something else besides revolting against the state.

  • @smorcrux426
    @smorcrux426 2 роки тому +1

    Can you please make a video about the entire process of refining oil? It is an unfathomably important part of modern life, and I do now know a single person who is knowledgeable about it.

    • @Asianometry
      @Asianometry  2 роки тому +2

      I talked about it briefly in my video about Singapore's rise as a petrochemical giant. You can check it out there.

  • @orangerightgold7512
    @orangerightgold7512 2 роки тому +4

    oh sweat shops

  • @snekmeseht
    @snekmeseht 2 роки тому

    You mentioned that PCC began selling athletic shoes at a cost of $5. What is that cost today?

  • @nachoman400
    @nachoman400 2 роки тому

    Hey dude great video, even so that some Taiwanese Embassies are posting your video on their social media!

  • @BullDuckov
    @BullDuckov 2 роки тому

    How much would a regular 100$ pair of sneakers cost in USA, if each factory worker in Taiwan was paid at least $1000 a month?

  • @sshko101
    @sshko101 2 роки тому +2

    I wonder what is the basis (religious or philosophical) for intelectual property rights in Asia (in different parts of it). From what I understant is that technology transfer does not hold it's ground on legal system (especially in the poorer countries) but only on a constant shift in fashion trends and brand marketing. In the western world it all goes back to Rerum Novarum in catholicism or even way earlier to iconoclasm and the great schism. I personaly don't like both the extremes: when you get sued for everything IP related like in the US (where it works mainly as an obstacle for freedom of ideas), and also when IP rights are disregarded completely (usually in developing countries). When you read Paris or Berne convetions it all sounds great, but in reality it works somewhat different in every region.

  • @joseSanchez-ej2oh
    @joseSanchez-ej2oh 2 роки тому +3

    👍
    The first company i noticed was from Taiwan was Tern
    Ever covered it or would consider covering that industry? 🚲

    • @capmidnite
      @capmidnite 2 роки тому +3

      I think Tern / Dahon are American companies founded by a Taiwanese American with Taiwan-based manufacturing?

    • @szurketaltos2693
      @szurketaltos2693 2 роки тому +1

      Would love to see a video on Giant.

  • @henrycarlson7514
    @henrycarlson7514 2 роки тому

    Interesting , Thank you

  • @RhizometricReality
    @RhizometricReality 2 роки тому

    I've met several guys who make and modify their sneekers

  • @KomradZX1989
    @KomradZX1989 2 роки тому +1

    AT THE VERY START of this video I ABSOLUTELY LOVED how you started out by casually saying, “In 1969, some dude named…”
    DUDE!!! 😂 It made me smile soooo hard! 😁
    Your video are truly the best out there on UA-cam about Asian history/economics. They are so thorough and well done. Your the best!!!!

  • @MithunOnTheNet
    @MithunOnTheNet 2 роки тому +1

    Never knew the major shoe makers were Taiwanese firms.

  • @JunSian1001
    @JunSian1001 Рік тому

    It occurs to me when America says "China takes american jobs", it glosses over a lot of complexity of company ownerships, e..g Taiwanese company makes shoes in mainland China and government-industry-market dynamics, i.e. price pressure and increasing wage forced manufacturers to move to other lower wage companies with free trade agreements.

  • @annarboriter
    @annarboriter 2 роки тому

    Cheap shoes and fast fashion are the most chic accessories for this season's authoritarian nomenklatura

  • @MaD_fX
    @MaD_fX 2 роки тому

    Breathing-in very audible in this video. Not that I give a damn about it, I'm here for the actual content which is excellent as per usual. Just a heads-up...

  • @krishnakanthcake
    @krishnakanthcake Рік тому +1

    Came here to fix his heart haha

  • @lakrids-pibe
    @lakrids-pibe Рік тому

    I wonder what traditional Taiwanese woven footwear looks like?

  • @sshko101
    @sshko101 2 роки тому

    What is the name of that Jackie Chan movie where his fake shoes fell apart during marathon and he was fighting against some counterfeit mafia in Hong Kong?

  • @亂釣流阿偉
    @亂釣流阿偉 2 роки тому +1

    Tsmc Mtk from Taiwan

  • @WahyuSetiawan-sz4lc
    @WahyuSetiawan-sz4lc 2 роки тому

    So the brand is mostly just marketing firm

  • @MrSongib
    @MrSongib 2 роки тому +1

    Laborers and the factory often didn't go well when the paygrade didn't make sense. This still happening everywhere, and that's a pretty sad thing when the product they made is cost more than what the laborer gets paid for.

  • @LiveWireBT
    @LiveWireBT 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks for confirming that most women shoes do not just look like low value trash, but actually are. If western women had no artificial induced need for throw away products that hurt your feet then people could create something more of value, at least that's what I thing should be done.

  • @pohkhui
    @pohkhui 2 роки тому

    👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️, Thank you for providing information

  • @Mr30friends
    @Mr30friends 2 роки тому +1

    Taiwan seems to have a global leader giant company on each product category. How is the gdp per capita where it is? (which is by no means poor, but still)

    • @wclifton968gameplaystutorials
      @wclifton968gameplaystutorials 2 роки тому +3

      US$32,787 is the GDP PPP Per Capita according to Wikipedia for Taiwan: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Taiwan
      So Taiwan is a "middle" income country, above that of places like Mexico, Botswana but "less rich" than places like France, United Kingdom, Italy etc.

    • @user-mg4yw9yc7l
      @user-mg4yw9yc7l 2 роки тому

      @@wclifton968gameplaystutorials Thankyou for that piece of work 从 m

    • @szurketaltos2693
      @szurketaltos2693 2 роки тому +1

      Services and finance are where the west really dominates. So using an example from the video, shoe design and marketing pay much better than shoe production. Being a commodities trader pays much more than being someone who grows wheat or mines coal.

    • @mwanafalsafa3613
      @mwanafalsafa3613 2 роки тому

      @@szurketaltos2693 but can a country bypass manufacturing and straight to services and be rich?

  • @navsenjoy
    @navsenjoy 2 роки тому

    Observed brand 'BATA' which I was assuming to be an Indian co. - wrongly until I googled...

  • @Embargoman
    @Embargoman 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks to Taiwan, for making all the sneakers I got not just from Nike, but others that make in Taiwan.
    Seems that Taiwan became the world’s factory of shoes all the time but now it shifted from Taiwan to China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

  • @terryss95
    @terryss95 2 роки тому

    But... my shoes were made in Italy...

  • @gr8bkset-524
    @gr8bkset-524 2 роки тому +1

    How do Americans have so much money that we can afford to buy things without making things other people want? It seems like a house of cards ready to collapse, then, the ones that see their jobs go overseas look for a leader who can "Make America Great Again".

  • @raylopez99
    @raylopez99 2 роки тому

    @3:27 the sandals deal by Ellis Safdeye, with about 33% markup he made a cool 600k*0.37 $ = $220k back when that was real money, in1954. ("Founded in 1954 by Mr. Ellis Safdeye; Pioneered imports from the Orient and is the longest surviving, and most experienced footwear importer in the US")

    • @raylopez99
      @raylopez99 2 роки тому

      In the Philippines, they have a thriving used shoe market. If you want to take your chances that the previous owner in the USA did not have foot fungus, aka "athlete's foot", it's a good deal, pick up a brand name shoe for $3 to $5 a pair.

    • @raylopez99
      @raylopez99 2 роки тому

      Missing from this video is how some sneaker manufacturers will get a design patent on the shape of the "tread" on the sole of the sneaker. It's not functional, only decorative, thus the design qualifies for a design patent.

  • @lakrids-pibe
    @lakrids-pibe Рік тому

    Didn't Daniel Day-Lewis make shoes as a hobby?
    Or was that just a meme?

  • @agenericaccount3935
    @agenericaccount3935 2 роки тому

    Omg. Shoes.

  • @drgeorgek
    @drgeorgek 2 роки тому

    Wow… $36/month pay rise

  • @pantani9886
    @pantani9886 2 роки тому

    I don't do cheap labour, and so pay for my stuff to be made by union workers in the west!
    It is not cheap having your shoes/boots made in USA/Italy, etc, but quality is better, and they can be repaired,
    unlike throwaway garbage from China/Vietnam, etc!

  • @Darkest_matter
    @Darkest_matter 2 роки тому

    I thought you were going to say foxconn

  • @drewh3224
    @drewh3224 2 роки тому +1

    You are welcome to move your shoe factories to Africa..

  • @fernarias
    @fernarias 2 роки тому

    I only buy new balance.

  • @memespeech
    @memespeech 2 роки тому

    The business/people in control and with the money are the ones doing the exploitation

  • @organichand-pickedfree-ran1463
    @organichand-pickedfree-ran1463 2 роки тому

    Please make a tweet about the video that i can retweet.

  • @AG-en5y
    @AG-en5y 2 роки тому

    🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

  • @Paulkjoss
    @Paulkjoss 2 роки тому +1

    Apparently- according to a random UA-cam video I saw once - the majority of shoe soles are still made in Germany - not Asia as we may think 🤔

    • @raylopez99
      @raylopez99 2 роки тому

      maybe depends on the year? In south Europe I noticed the last few years a lot of cheap shoes at the "Chinese" stores, for about 5 Euro a pair.

  • @mrinmoybanik5598
    @mrinmoybanik5598 2 роки тому +3

    I wonder what will happen when even the living standards of these new developing countries like vietnam and india will increase.Probably the manufacturing will move to africa.Then what next?Antarctica😂

    • @SY-ok2dq
      @SY-ok2dq 2 роки тому

      Vietnam has been booming, for sure, so we'll have to see how long it is before cheap labor availability becomes an issue.
      But the Indian subcontinent (not just India) has such a massive population and low wages that there's still plenty of room for companies to expand labor-intensive manufacturing there.

    • @alberttang6955
      @alberttang6955 2 роки тому

      In addition to plentiful inexpensive workers, the next location would need basic infrastructure like reliable electricity and water supply to support manufacturing. Also political stability to insure things don't go to hell overnight. And rule of law to insure local corruption doesn't ruin things.

  • @bruceli9094
    @bruceli9094 2 роки тому +1

    Russia just withdrew from mainland Ukraine lol

  • @wwlee5
    @wwlee5 2 роки тому

    Perhaps you should not say "dude" when making an informational video. It's usually reserved for other scenarios but not for informational videos.

  • @ph11p3540
    @ph11p3540 2 роки тому

    Plastic. It's fantastic. Except when it's tossed away into our environment. Who ever properly perfects separating plastic trash reliably every time on an industrial scale will be rich. So far, no one can do it reliably.

  • @ashleypar4634
    @ashleypar4634 2 роки тому

    Can you make a video about the elections and politics in the Philippines I would really like to see that one