Designer Solutions

FOOTWEAR TEST

Footwear is a highly diverse category, with thousands of models that use a wide range of materials, and requires a number of different production processes. This makes footwear testing and quality assurance a highly demanding and specialized process. Today, retailers are faced with far more than the age-old dilemma of whether to accept a nominal amount of manufacturing defects. Complex local, state, and federal regulations are challenging footwear manufacturers to produce safer, higher quality, and more environmentally friendly products than ever before. THE K FAMILY FACTORY will ensure your products that are compliant with all applicable and international regulations. In addition, physical, mechanical, performance, and special claims testing will ensure the product consistently meets or exceeds your customer ’s expectations.

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Footwear manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers are responsible for ensuring their products meet the requirements of commerce departments and health authorities in the countries where they choose to sell them. THE K FAMILY FACTORY ’s footwear expertise will help your brand ensure the consistent product quality and safety compliance, reduce returns, and enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction.

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Testing the materials and components that make up the finished product, as well as evaluation of the complete shoe help ensure that your footwear meets consumer safety standards and regulatory requirements of your destination market. THE K FAMILY FACTORY offers physical testing and chemical testing methods for footwear products:

1. Physical Testing

Physical testing includes slip resistance, sole flex resistance and heel attachment strength, colorfastness, waterproof properties, components, and whole shoe appraisal.

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1.1 Slip Resistance

As a safety shoe company, we have to take a number of factors into account. Slip resistant soles however are one of the most vital elements in safety footwear, also according to the EN ISO 20345 standard every safety footwear must have at least one type of slip resistant sole. Protective footwear can play a big role in preventing costly and dangerous slips, trips and falls.  THE K FAMILY FACTORY offers a wide selection of shoes with an sole that exceeds the generally applicable European slip resistance standards by far. As a result, you minimize the risk to trip or slide on a slippery surface.

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1.2 Sole Flex Resistance and Heel Attachment Strength

Badly designed heels can crack or break as a result of impact or fatigue during everyday walking and general use. Heel failures can result in serious injury to the wearer. High heeled shoes need to be engineered using the correct components to ensure the heel is attached securely to the back part. We have the expertise to analyse the results, looking at the construction and components and advising on the best practice to minimize the risk of failure.

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1.3 Colorfastness

Colorfastness is a property of a colorant which allows it to retain its different characteristics despite degradation conditions such as exposure to light and dry cleaning. Product performance and evaluation to determine if the item is suitable for the intended end use. If colorfastness is good then item quality high and if poor fastness property then item quality is bad. So, colorfastness is an important factor for the buyer to justify whether the item is good or not.

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1.4 Waterproof Properties

There are many companies that make solid footwear using water-resistant materials such as leathers, and non-slip rubber soles, whose stylish design and inclement weather durability make them a favorite among practical men. When footwear is claimed to offer a level of water resistance, the ability to accurately assess this can help support such claims and can make an important contribution to establishing or maintaining a brand reputation, or meeting a primary buyer’s specification.

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1.5 Components --- hardware, zips, strap, and others

Accessories are popular in the fashion footwear market. Making sure they are attached correctly will avoid customer disappointment and damaged brand reputation. THE K FAMILY FACTORY can test trim attachments and also assess other aspects such as corrosion and tarnishing resistance.

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1.6 Whole Shoe Appraisal ---- touch, fitting

People buy footwear products for everyday use needs to be practical, comfortable and durable which requires trusted footwear research and testing. Although good fit might not be the prime reason that customers buy fashion footwear, a good fitting shoe will certainly help with the decision making at point of sale and encourage repeat sales, achieving consistent fitting standards and size marking, which helps minimize returns from internet customers.

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2. Chemical Testing

Chemical testing includes restricted and hazardous substances, chemical smart screening and REACH regulation.

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2.1 Restricted and Hazardous Substances

All new products need to be monitored for the concentration of restricted substances including, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (Cr), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and four different phthalates (DEHP, BBP, BBP, DIBP), which are hazardous to the environment and pollute landfills, and are dangerous in terms of occupational exposure during manufacturing and recycling. This footwear test is to ensure that no product exceeds the RoHS limits of 0.1% or 1,000ppm (except for cadmium, which is limited to 0.01% or 100ppm) by weight of homogeneous material.

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2.2 Chemical Smart Screening

Chemical Smart Screening tool is designed for use by textiles, apparel and footwear brands and manufacturers to detect the presence of common restricted substances in raw materials during the early stages of manufacturing. It provides better visibility into your supply chain, helps you fulfill consumer and legislative demands for green products and enables you to avoid the time and expenses incurred as a result of test failures.

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Partnering with an independent inspection and testing entity enables you to identify and control quality concerns at the source whether inspection is conducted before, during and after production. THE K FAMILY OF TEST TEAM have been well trained to inspect raw materials to be used, craftsmanship, production status, quantity, and more to ensure you will receive your shoes without unnecessary surprises.