As an industry leader in the age of globalisation, LOWA consciously applies a philosophy of “Made in Europe” to guarantee the best product quality, fair wages and social benefits for employees.
The company also wants to ensure its comprehensive know-how and the control over technologies remain in its own hands. By producing footwear in Europe, LOWA also benefits from much shorter delivery times. Another critical aspect is the continuous quality controls during every stage of production.
Safeguarding technological know-how: Developing and producing high-quality outdoor footwear is a complex process that requires a high degree of handicraft. By making its footwear in Europe, LOWA can maintain a close relationship between its production operation and its research and development department. One benefit of this decision is the company’s ability to produce a completely new prototype within one day at its base in Jetzendorf.
Lowering transport costs and emissions: The proximity of production facilities to LOWA’s primary markets in Europe keep transport distances short. This, in turn, reduces emissions and eliminates high transport costs.
Influencing the value chain: By producing in Europe, LOWA can influence the entire value chain. Since July 2019, nearly 95 percent of production capacities have been covered by wholly owned LOWA subsidiaries. This enables LOWA to shape the selection of the materials, production methods and employment conditions.
LOWA currently operates production facilities at its headquarters in the Bavarian town of Jetzendorf as well as in Slovakia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Czech Republic.
LOWA Sportschuhe GmbH was founded in 1923 in Jetzendorf by Lorenz Wagner and is the home of the international company today. What began in 1923 as a small start-up producing traditional handmade Bavarian Haferl shoes has evolved over the years into an international company with a highly respected global reputation. Even as internationalisation spreads around the world, LOWA has taken the conscious decision to keep its home base located in Jetzendorf.
To LOWA, the production operation in Germany embodies the link between a decades-long company tradition and values like a commitment to quality, exceptional service, the joy of innovation and continuous modernisation. About 260 employees work in Jetzendorf today. In addition to the production operation, the town is the home of the research and development department and the central administrative office. The production and administrative buildings have always been upgraded to meet new needs. The last expansion work was done in 2002. In 2016, LOWA covered a large segment of the company car park with a photovoltaic system. This unit now generates one-sixth of the power used by the company.
The RIALTO company is the second-largest footwear manufacturing facility in Slovakia. In the region around Bošany, shoemaking has a long heritage. An old company property was purchased in 1999 from the then-owners and a modern factory was built. The community of Bošany is situated in the Danube foothills in northwestern Slovakia and has approximately 5,000 residents. RIALTO is one of the largest employer in the region. For the employees, health insurance and social welfare benefits are simply a given just as are extra wages for shift work and night shifts. One special feature is that the company finances 13 bus lines and employees can use them at no charge.
The company LOWA R&D S.r.L. has its administrative headquarters in the Italian region of Treviso. There, one also finds a small prototype production facility. The main production location is in Slovakia in the city of Bošany, where it does business as RIALTO s.r.o.
GARDEN SPORT is the smallest member of LOWA’s European production alliance. The company was established in 1963 by the father of today’s managing director, Giuliano Deon. The area around the city of Montebelluna in the northern Italian region of Veneto is a traditional production site of the shoe industry. It forms the commercial heart of the country along with Milan. LOWA’s production operation in Italy primarily makes Alpine and hiking boots. It currently has 16 employees. The company undergoes continuous modernisation. The last addition was completed in 2015.
ŠKREBIĆ was established in 1997 and employs about 470 people today. A total of 230 of them work for LOWA, a group that consists mainly of women. The shoe factory is located in the small town of Teslić in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the region’s major employers. ŠKREBIĆ is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s major companies, a status that places it under special government supervision. ŠKREBIĆ provides between six and seven bus lines as well as a number of mini-buses that bring employees who live in areas of town located far from the factory to work and back home. Like other members of the LOWA alliance, meals are served free of charge to employees in the company cafeteria.
The BEMA shoe factory is also located in the northern part of the country, in Banja Luka, the second-largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company grew out of the BOSNA shoe factory and uses a portion of the old factory facilities that are continuously modernised. BEMA is one of the region’s largest employers today. Holiday policies at BEMA are identical to those at ŠKREBIĆ. Both companies take three weeks off in the summer. In addition, they shut down operations for a period of 10 days to two weeks at Christmas. In Banja Luka, the shoe factory finances 10 bus lines for commuting workers. Employees who do not live near the company’s bus routes may use public buses at the company’s expense. Like ŠKREBIĆ, meals served by the company cafeteria are free of charge.
LORA is in Križevci, a city located northeast of Zagreb, and was established in 1998. When it opened, the company had about 75 employees. Since then, the workforce has grown to approximately 150 people, 80 per cent of whom are women. LORA is one of the region’s most important employers. In 2007, the production operation was moved to a site on the eastern edge of the city. LORA has a two-shift operation that specialises in the production of uppers. The company covers the commuting and meal costs of employees.
TRIOP is a company that specialises in climbing shoes and has been making them for more than 25 years. The company makes all its boots in the Czech Republic. The city of Fryšták is located in the eastern portion of the Czech Republic, at the south-western foot of the Hostýnské vrchy mountains in the Fryštácká depression at the point where the Moravian Wallachia transitions to Hanakia.
The city of Zlín has more than 75,000 residents and is an industrial centre of the Zlínský kraj region in Moravia. It is about seven kilometres south of Fryšták. The company SALTIC s.r.o. was established in 1990 in Zlín. It has specialised in climbing shoes from the start.