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The University of Massachusetts Lowell on Friday hosted the first-ever military footwear industry day with U.S. Army DEVCOM and United States Footwear Manufacturers Association (USFMA) to showcase new footwear technologies and funding opportunities to improve military readiness and strengthen the domestic capacity to outfit with troop with state-of-the-art boots and other gear. The Supporting Warfighters through Innovative Footwear Technologies (SWIFT) program has been funded by Congress to enlist U.S. textile manufacturers, suppliers, and universities to pursue inventive solutions to the unique footwear challenges faced by military personnel. The funding for prototyping and piloting new technologies, including an additional $10 million appropriated this year, is also intended to strengthen the Berry Amendment, which restricts the use of federal funds for military clothing, fabrics, and other textiles “not grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States.” “I think we are all familiar with the expression that an army marches on its stomach, but here, UMass Lowell recognizes that what our men and women in uniform wear on their feet matters just as much,” said UML Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation Anne Maglia. “We couldn’t be prouder to be playing a leading role in helping ensure they have the most innovative footwear in the world, developed and produced here in the United States.” “This is to build upon what we can do here in the U.S.,” said Anita Perkins, a footwear engineer at U.S. Army DEVCOM. “A lot of the technology over the years providing footwear has been transferred overseas.” The SWIFT initiative is a part of UMASS Lowell's Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers (HEROES) program, established in 2013, in which students and faculty research new materials and concepts to outfit the troops. “If you ask any soldier what is the most important piece of equipment they are getting...it is their boots,” said HEROES Co-Director Ramaswamy (Ram) Nagarajan. Specials thanks to participating industry and academic partners, including Polylabs; COMUNITYmade, INC; The Haartz Corporation; New Balance; Signet Mills, Northeastern University; Vibram Group; ORION PHOTONICS LTD; Flexcon; Aetrex, Inc.; Foundation Wellness; Mantel; and The University of Southern Mississippi. https://lnkd.in/ePPeggTd
President / Founder of COMUNITYmade. Former Marketing Executive for ASICS America.
1moWe were honored to participate in this amazing and inspiring event! Our CEO Sean Scott loved talking with everyone involved about nearshoring and the opportunities to utilize new technologies to advance products for the US Army DEVCOM. Thanks to United States Footwear Manufacturers Association (USFMA) for organizing this!