Global International b.v. is investing a lot in the newest technologies for stitching machines used in the footwear industry. OPUS is keen on investments in new technologies to produce shoes where developers and brands are looking for. 1+1= 3!

End of August 2021, OPUS visited Global International BV, a family owned company based in Haarlem in the Netherlands.

For the footwear industry, Global is producing about 200 different kind of sewing machines, for all kind of footwear:  lady-, children-, sports-, men-, casual-, safety and military-, good year welted shoes, moccasins and sandals. In their Dutch showroom and warehouse are more than 22.000 sewing machines on stock! Unbelievable.

Global’s R&D departments are in close connection with Global’s Consultancy department (G.S.C.) where they have their own shoe technicians who calculate improvements at production in shoe factories on the stitching-, cutting- and assembly lines using less on machines (through the latest technology) and work force. It was good news that Global opened their second shoe technology office and showroom in July 2021 in Vietnam, where we can test the Global machines. Besides of that they offer instructions and implementation on spot.

It was impressing to see and visit the big showroom in Haarlem, the Global warehouse and the employees and owners of the Global business. In 1950 Mr. Jan de Vlieger started trading in industrial sewing machines and later became the distributor of several trademarks. His sons took over and successfully expanded the company into one of the largest independent distributors of industrial sewing machines in the world. In 1987 the family De Vlieger starting making their own brand of sewing machines “Global” for the garment industry, followed by producing machines for the automotive and upholstery industry.

Since 1990, when the family took over the Minerva factories in the Czech Republic, Global started to make postbed and zig-zag machines for the footwear industry.Nowadays Global is producing their sewing machines in 3 countries; the Czech Republic, Germany and China.

We are looking forward to explain more about stitching with this beautiful new equipment:

– the touch panel on the machine itself, makes programming easier – there is a height adjustable top foot pressure by means of a step-motor – a wire break detector and mold changer are optional – including a bar code reader and an extra large rotary grab.

The result is a more detailed and uniform end result, a beautiful stitched upper!