September 2017
Elegant Shoe for Kretschmann
Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann had his shoes resoled at the workshop of BÄR. Visit by the minister-president Winfried Kretschmann visited BÄR in Bietigheim-Bissingen with Green Party candidate Catherine Kern.
When the nail polish color someone has used for years is discontinued, many a customer is prone to panic attacks in the drugstore. In a less extreme but equally concerned manner, Winfried Kretschmann approached Christof Bär on Wednesday afternoon: “But my model is staying in the range, isn’t it?” the Baden-Württemberg minister-president asked one of the two managing directors of the Bietigheim-Bissingen shoe manufacturer. Kretschmann was visiting the company on Pleidelsheimer Straße, where he toured the warehouse, production facilities, and sales areas in the Büttenwiesen commercial district. According to Bär, Kretschmann has been a customer of the company for 18 years; the Green politician wears size 48. “For many years, with this shoe size I could only get models that didn’t fit,” said Kretschmann. Compared with the fashionable patent-leather shoes the minister-president wears at state receptions, his Bär shoes were a “real relief for the feet.” The gratitude expressed in Winfried Kretschmann’s welcoming address was therefore quite genuine: “I personally owe you my thanks. At last everything fits and is comfortable.” The 69-year-old then asked the Bär brothers to send his regards to their parents.
In addition to manufacturing new models, Bär repairs around 11,500 shoes a year. For example, customers can have their shoes resoled. The minister-president takes advantage of this service too: “I always have my shoes repaired, then they last twice as long.” The Green politician praised this “environmentally friendly service in the midst of a throwaway society.” Bär shoes are manufactured at production facilities in India. Almost 400 people work at the headquarters in Bietigheim-Bissingen, the branches, and the production facilities combined. Around 80 employees work in Bietigheim-Bissingen, where every item arriving from India is inspected for defects. In another Bär building, Kretschmann then lent a hand himself and glued a sole onto the shoe upper.
When he examined the finished shoe, one detail stood out: It was the “Der Feine” model, which he was wearing himself—in the right size. “No coincidence,” said Christof Bär. “We have his size and his favorite shoe on file.” For their loyal customer, the Bär siblings are already working on a new model so that the minister-president will no longer suffer numb toes at official occasions.
January 2017
Returning to Bietigheim-Bissingen with 3D Technology
Company founder Christian Bär, together with his wife Hilke and employee Rafael Mora, presents the production steps for a Joe Nimble shoe that is also made using 3D technology.
The barefoot shoe from the Joe Nimble collection presented by senior director Christian Bär and his wife Hilke stands out with its bright blue color, high-quality workmanship, and an extremely complex textile upper. The shoe is manufactured at the Bär manufactory in Bietigheim-Bissingen. This is quite remarkable, because there are hardly any shoe manufacturers still producing in Germany. For decades, the domestic textile industry has lacked skilled workers, which is why most companies sought out overseas production facilities long ago. Bär, too—the brand with Toe freedom—manufactures almost all its shoes in its own factory in India for quality reasons.
But recently, three of the company’s 200 models have once again been coming directly from the Bietigheim-Bissingen manufactory on Rötestraße, including not only the barefoot shoe but also a hiking shoe. This has been made possible by modern 3D technology, which caught Christian Bär’s attention a year ago and convinced his sons Christof and Sebastian Bär, who are now responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations, to give it a try.
With “outstanding results,” as company founder Christian Bär states with satisfaction. The upper of the bright blue Joe Nimble is made by state-of-the-art digital 3D knitting machines on the Swabian Jura. The design and material specifications come from the developers in Bietigheim, while the finished product component is supplied by digital technology.
Tradition and the Future
In Bietigheim-Bissingen, the final assembly then takes place, with skilled workers attaching and stitching the applications, outsole, and insole. The principle of craftsmanship is therefore retained, which is particularly important to the family business and is an essential part of customer trust. For Bär, the use of modern digital technology and traditional shoemaking are not contradictory; rather, they represent the future—with advantages for the product as well as for the local labor market. Six employees turn the 3D upper into a finished shoe.
The Bär family business has also enabled refugees to find employment at the company. Two of them are trained shoemakers. And there could be even more employees. Christian Bär and his wife Hilke are delighted with the quality produced by the Jura knitting machines. This is especially important given the standards of the exclusive supplier from the Enz, in contrast to many mass manufacturers. Colors, material combinations, and shapes can be implemented very quickly under these high-tech conditions, while individual adjustments in shoe production can be made more quickly and realized more effectively. “We benefit from all the advantages of production close to home without compromising on quality,” emphasizes Bär, who believes the company has helped usher in a new era of shoemaking. “Basically, the entire production process—from model development to manufacturing—can be completed in 24 hours.”
The first models made using Swabian 3D production will enter the market in February. Bär has no doubt that they will also delight the manufacturer’s traditionally highly discerning customers.
