OrthoLite expands global production capacity with a new manufacturing facility in northern Vietnam

OrthoLite, a global leader in sustainable open-cell foam solutions for the footwear industry, has opened a new plant in Ninh Binh Province, northern Vietnam. The site's launch marks a significant milestone in the company's worldwide vertical integration approach, which aims to localise the entire end-to-end production chain and increase manufacturing capacity to support regional and international brand partners.

Vertical Integration and Local Production

The new OrthoLite North Vietnam (ONV) facility is a cutting-edge plant designed to adopt a "local-for-local" production model, lowering lead times and increasing supply chain resilience. The facility is part of OrthoLite's vertical integration strategy, which includes company-owned and directly managed units that provide complete control over all manufacturing phases.

Under the supervision of Country Manager Michael Hsu, the ONV facility ensures local production while significantly reducing delivery times and increasing operational flexibility. OrthoLite's global quality standards apply to all open-cell polyurethane (PU) foam compositions, assuring uniformity in technical specifications, reducing production waste, and implementing modern digital monitoring systems for real-time transparency and traceability.

Ortholite Foam Technology: Specifications and Applications

OrthoLite formulations use open-cell PU foam technology with densities ranging from 0.085 g/cm³ to 0.30 g/cm³ with customisable hardness (15° to 43° Asker C), making them appropriate for a variety of applications such as insoles, strobel boards, and upper components. Technologies include recycled lines such as OrthoLite® HybridPlus-Recycled™ (50% recycled content: 43% recycled PU foam + 7% rubber) and bio-based formulations with vegetable oils from castor plants.

Moisture management via an open-cell structure, high breathability, lightweight design, and long-lasting cushioning that retains 95% of its original performance over time are all important technical qualities. Foams can be customised in thicknesses from 2mm to 20mm, with common forms of 110cm × 200cm and thickness tolerances of ±0.3mm.

Sustainable and Circular Economy

OrthoLite incorporates sustainable measures throughout its whole production chain. All OrthoLite® foams contain at least 5% recycled rubber from sole production waste, which prevents approximately 600 tonnes of trash from entering landfills each year. The OrthoLite® Recycled™ lines achieve 98% post-production waste content, close to the "zero waste" goal.

OrthoLite® Float™ is a lightweight foam with high energy return (over 38%) that provides comfort, breathability, and antibacterial qualities at the molecular level. The foam is also washable and form-retentive, allowing it to properly adjust to foot shape while being competitively priced.

OrthoLite has also created OrthoLite Cirql, a patented material developed in conjunction with Novamont that blends chemical-free foam and the Origo-Bi® biopolymer. This circular material, made from non-GMO plant-based raw ingredients, can be reintroduced into the manufacturing cycle through low-energy chemical recycling or returned to nature via certified industrial composting. Cirql Zero™ technology, developed in Vietnam, achieves 90% biodegradation in 180 days under industrial composting conditions. This provides a scalable solution for millions of pairs of footwear every year.

Digital Technology and Sustainable Production Processes

The new ONV facility uses advanced digital monitoring technologies to assure transparency and reliability across the whole manufacturing process, from program certification to quality control, waste reduction, and performance optimisation.

OrthoLite uses supercritical foaming techniques with inert gases (atmospheric nitrogen) and renewable energy, avoiding the usage of dangerous or poisonous chemical additions used in traditional procedures. The injection moulding method using high-pressure liquid nitrogen allows for exceptionally efficient cycle durations, lowers energy usage, and produces finished components quickly without generating waste.

Water recycling technologies, as well as the processing and reuse of manufacturing wastewater, are integrated into OrthoLite sites around the world. When recycled water cannot be utilised, it is transformed into solid waste and handled in accordance with the most strict environmental regulations. The facilities also use clean solar energy for water and heating, which reduces reliance on fossil fuels.

Statements & Strategic Context

"The northern Vietnam region represents a central element of our global production strategy, which aims to align our factories and provide efficient and excellent service directly to our local partners and Tier 1 factories," commented Michael Hsu, Country Manager for OrthoLite North Vietnam. "With this strategic expansion, OrthoLite is optimally positioned to deliver high-performance comfort solutions through local manufacturing, benefiting global brands".

Source: Style Media Publishing & Advertising