Manufacturing of anatomically shaped cork-latex insoles, soles, and sandals assembly at the largest location of the BIRKENSTOCK Group
Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH
GörlitzNew on Amplifa
BIRKENSTOCK in Görlitz – a location with global impact
Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH, headquartered in Görlitz, is the largest and most important plant of the BIRKENSTOCK Group, with approximately 1,900 employees across about 45,000 m². The central element of every BIRKENSTOCK product is created at this site: the anatomically shaped cork-latex insole, which is considered a company invention. Original BIRKENSTOCK insoles and soles made of cork-latex are manufactured; subsequently, all components—soles, insoles, straps, and buckles—are assembled into sandals on-site. Production is consistently vertically integrated: all insoles are manufactured in Germany, over 95 percent of products are assembled here, and more than 90 percent of materials used originate from Europe. The plant benefits from its location in the European city of Görlitz/Zgorzelec and employs skilled professionals from Germany and Poland. In 2021, the Group announced an investment program of approximately 50 million EUR to increase the capacity for cork-latex sandals by 50%.
- Site
- Görlitz
- Processes
- Manufacturing of anatomically shaped cork-latex insoles, Manufacture of soles (cork-latex), Sandals assembly (sole, insole, straps, buckles), Manufacturing of EVA plastic sandals, Manufacturing of PU plastic sandals, Stamping - Molding - Pressing (formerly SPP GmbH, merged 2017), Vertically integrated production (insoles, soles, assembly), Factory sales Görlitz
- Materials
- Kork, Latex, EVA, PU (Polyurethane), Kork-Latex, Polyurethan (PU)
- Founded
- 1774
- Employees
- ca. 7.245 (Group)
- Industries
- Footwear industry, Footwear trade/Fashion Retail
- 01
Manufacturing of anatomically shaped cork-latex insoles
- 02
Manufacture of soles (cork-latex)
- 03
Manufacturing of EVA and PU plastic sandals
- 04
Sandals assembly (sole, insole, straps, buckles)
- 05
Factory sales Görlitz
Materials and Processes
Kork-Latex
Core material for anatomically shaped insoles and soles.
EVA
Material for plastic sandals, whose production is centralized in a dedicated competence center.
Polyurethan (PU)
Material for plastic sandals, also in the planned EVA/PU competence center.
Location
Görlitz
DEProduction (largest plant of the BIRKENSTOCK Group), Factory Sales
- Materials
- Kork, Latex, EVA, PU
- Modern facilities for insole and sole manufacturing as well as sandal assembly
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing of anatomically shaped cork-latex insolesMolding | – | – | – | – | Kork, Latex |
| Manufacture of soles (cork-latex)Molding | – | – | – | – | Kork, Latex |
| Sandals assembly (sole, insole, straps, buckles)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Kork, Latex, Leather, Plastic |
| Manufacturing of EVA plastic sandalsPlastic | – | – | – | – | EVA |
| Manufacturing of PU plastic sandalsPlastic | – | – | – | – | PU (Polyurethane) |
| Stamping - Molding - Pressing (formerly SPP GmbH, merged 2017)Molding | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1774
First documented mention of shoemaker Johannes Birkenstock in Langen-Bergheim
- 1896/1897
Konrad Birkenstock opens orthopedic shoemaking business in Frankfurt am Main, founding of Konrad Birkenstock GmbH, invention of the insole
- 1963
Karl Birkenstock launches the first original Birkenstock insole sandal
- 1966
Start of distribution in the USA by Margot Fraser
- 2009
Location established in Görlitz
- 2013
Restructuring into the unified Birkenstock Group
- 2016
Registration of Birkenstock Productions Sachsen GmbH (initially Neustadt (Wied))
- 2017
Headquarters relocated to Görlitz; Merger of SPP GmbH (Stamping - Molding - Pressing)
- 2015-2026
Growth of the Görlitz plant from approx. 350 to approx. 1,900 employees
- 2021
Investment program of approx. 50 million EUR in Görlitz; planned EVA/PU competence center with up to 1,000 new jobs; L Catterton becomes majority owner