Huntsman has invested in equipment to boost the research and development services it offers to footwear producers and their manufacturing partners. To enrich its work across the entire footwear value chain and create fully equipped testing and prototyping environments, Huntsman recently purchased machines that give it extra technical support capabilities in the field of polyurethane casting; direct-on production; multi-section injection molding; and TPU injection molding.

Global chemical company Huntsman is a leading developer of innovative polyurethane and thermoplastic polyurethane materials for the footwear industry. Throughout Asia, the Americas and Europe, the business has a number of technical centers that provide specialist support to the footwear industry. Part of a much larger global network of Huntsman innovation and customer care centers, these footwear hubs offer design, prototyping, testing and technical support services to some of the world’s most well-known footwear brands.

Many of the footwear companies Huntsman works with are big global brands. These companies want their material suppliers to have a similar geographic footprint – not just in terms of people, production and supply, but also for the delivery of innovation services and technical support. The recent investments have been made with the needs of these customers in mind.