100 Years' Solidus Comfortschuhe in Tuttlingen

"Solidus-Comfortschuhe" was founded on August 10, 1910 by Mr. Georg W. Martin at its current location in Tuttlingen and initially traded under the name "Voran" Solidschuhwerk.

A modern – for those times – manufacturing facility was built in Ehrenbergstraße 18, which also produced hiking, sport, hunting and ski boots. Right from the start Mr. Martin, who himself suffered from foot problems, focused on the manufacture of well fitting and comfortable footwear.

In the 1920s the "Voran" Solidschuhwerk made use of a special gluing process, which later came into more general use under the name 'AGO'. And very early on the company developed techniques to pre-form leather insoles, which allowed optimally shaped footbeds to be manufactured industrially.

After the Second World War, the company's production of comfortable shoes was successfully expanded.

In February 1956 the company's founder died at the age of 82 years. Management of the company then passed to Max Teufel and Richard Henke. Already in the 1950s Max Teufel pursued a policy of working closely with medical specialists to develop lasts for comfortable shoes.

In 1965 the company purchased the Chasalla factory in Kassel which also produced comfortable footwear, with the aim of offering shoes which were both comfortable and elegant. In the 1980s the two product lines "Solidus" and "Chasalla" were combined to form the now well-known brand "Solidus Comfortschuhe".

At the beginning of the 1970s Solidus concluded central settlement agreements with all purchasing associations. Cooperations with the German Association for Orthopedic Shoe Technology and the National Colleges for Orthopedic Shoe Technology in Hanover, Frankfurt and Munich were pursued early on.

At the same time the company was already successfully expanding into foreign export markets in Japan, North America, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

By this time Solidschuhwerk was already known as a specialist company for comfortable shoes of varying widths and offered a range of 9 different widths.

After the unexpected death of Max Teufel in 1975, Justus Raichle, a partner of the company and departmental head up until that date, joined the management board as technical managing director.

In the following years, Mr. Raichle continued to optimize production and promoted a modern product design. He introduced the use of the Strobel process, which facilitates the production of lighter and more flexible comfortable shoes.

In 1978 the economist Armin Henke, now also a partner of the company, followed in the footsteps of his father Richard Henke, who had retired by reason of age, and joined the management board as commercial director.

In 1997 Justus Raichle retired and handed over the management of the Technical Department to his son Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Ulrich Raichle, a technical engineer.

One year later Mr. Eugen Pfistner joined the company to become authorized signatory for the Marketing/Sales Department. Mr. Pfistner had previously worked for Solidschuhwerk for 10 ten years as a sales representative and a consultant.

Mr. Pfistner played a key role in the latter half of the 1980s. Recognizing the trend towards comfortable shoes with a younger image, he saw to it that Solidschuhwerk picked up on the trend with its product line "Vivo".

Foreign markets now account for more than 50% of the company's sales, the result of a strong focus on market development. Outside Europe the company has business relations in Japan, Australia, North America, Russia and the Middle East.

The company is now well positioned with a wide range of products on offer. The different last shapes are marketed under the following product lines:

Solidus Comfortschuhe

Women's shoes and boots, available in widths ranging from F to the special width M.
Women's sandals with loose arch supports and removable insoles, available in the widths F to M.
Men's shoes/boots/sandals, available in the widths F to K.

Vivo Concept by Solidus

Trendy comfortable shoes with removable insoles, available in the widths G to the special width M.
Sandals/mules with removal insoles, available in the widths F to M. Sandals/mules with a special comfort footbed.

Solicare Soft Concept by Solidus

This is a special range for women and men developed by Solidus which offers a range of shoes for damaged feet. Therapeutic shoes and support shoes for diabetic feet.
Available in special widths and for specially adapted insoles.

Solifit Concept by Solidus

In keeping with the current fitness and wellness trend, lasts for women's and men's shoes with special insoles which mirror the rolling motion of the foot were developed.

Under certain conditions, Solidschuhwerk offers retailers the possibility of entering into a "concept" partnership. These are partnerships where the concept partner focuses on the "Solidus" brand while Solidschuhwerk bears a proportion of the risks and marketing costs. This concept is particularly aimed making it easier for persons working in the retail trade selling comfortable shoes to set up new companies and additionally includes special marketing and advertising materials.

The sale of "Solidus comfort shoes" is handled by sales representatives and agencies outside Germany who work exclusively for Solidschuhwerk. In the last 15 years retailers have demonstrated a preference for viewing the new designs in showrooms and this trend has been catered for at various locations in Germany, the Benelux countries and Switzerland where clients are informed about the theme of the collections in more detail.

Sales are supported by a comprehensive express stock delivery program consisting of seasonal bestsellers and a selection of basic lines. This offers small-scale retailers the chance to order individual pairs of shoes, as Solidschuhwerk still offers this facility without requiring a minimum purchase quantity.

Retailers can avail themselves of a range of customer brochures, display aids, consumer advertisements, etc., which are provided at reasonable cost. As a special service, since several decades Solidus has offered its trading partners training courses in Tuttlingen or on site training on the product for sales staff.

As Solidschuhwerk celebrates its 100th anniversary, it will be offering its retailers special anniversary conditions on a range of selected articles and its marketing campaigns will be supplemented by a decoration competition on the theme "100 Years' Solidus", with prizes to be won by retailers and end-consumers.

With their stylish new designs, the most recent collections HW 2010/2011 and FS 2011 have paid due attention to the overall trend towards a more youthful appearance. With this development Solidschuhwerk aims to lower the average age of its target customer group. These collections are the realization of a trend towards increased wellness and comfort, also among a younger target audience, without relinquishing optimal fit or product quality. With its current choice of widths for women's shoes, which ranges from F, G, H, J, K, M to the special width W, "Solidus" is still the specialist for shoes with a wide choice of widths and an optimal fit.

To continue the company's success in the market for comfortable shoes in the coming years, the Solidschuhwerk is committed to a sustainable product development which will also take account of demographic trends and the needs of the target customer group of persons aged 55 and above.

14.06.10
Eugen Pfistner