What are the manufacturing stages needed to complete a LOWA hiking/trekking boot?

  1. Evaluating the leather: sorting and distribution
  2. Punching out the pieces: uppers, lining, cushioning, reinforcements, etc.
  3. Setup: preparation of all of the individual pieces including stamping, shaving and bevelling (scarfing) to thin the edges and to equalise the strength of all parts, applying colour touch-ups to the cut faces, pressing flat and fusing together the leather pieces and reinforcements. 
  4. Sewing: stitching together the pieces
  5. Cementing: gluing in the cushioning pieces
  6. Riveting: fastening the metal parts such as hooks, eyelets and lace loops
  7. Quality control of the uppers and visual inspection (i.e., the boot without the last and before the insole, outsole or midsole are attached)
  8. Preparing uppers, prior to lasting. Pre-treating the upper.
  9. Attaching the insole to the last
  10. Pulling (shaping) the upper over the last: The upper is drawn snugly and shaped over the last, and then the edges of the upper are cemented to the insole.
  11. Shaping and securing the heel area: The rear part of the upper is cemented or tacked to the insole
  12. Roughing out the upper to attach the rand
  13. Wrapping and cementing on the rubber rand
  14. Roughing out the rand and cementing on the sole unit
  15. Removing the boot from the last
  16. Finishing and additional quality control
  17. Spraying on the finishing treatment
  18. Threading the laces
  19. Inserting the footbed
  20. Attaching the label
  21. Packing and shipping 
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