The last deliveries, especially in autumn, were not satisfactory for Däumling. The children’s shoe manufacturer is open about this. Finally, some of the 2023 boots only arrived at the end of October and in 2024 some shoes were not in stores until December.
There have been many problems with a production facility where Däumling has had the majority of its shoes produced in recent years, says Peter Klan, sales manager at Däumling. The quality of the producer has deteriorated and deadlines have not been met. Now everything should get better: “We have now
“Our entire production is back in our own hands,” says Klan. The product was taken over by Berkemann in November 2022 and, thanks to the structures of the new parent company, can produce independently of external partners in Germany, Hungary and Moldova.
Thanks to the production facility in Moldova, it is now possible to inject soles, which initially created another problem. “We were probably a little too euphoric,” says Klan. Instead of using PU, Däumling uses the 100% recyclable TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) as the sole material. “The production leftovers
PU is hazardous waste that cannot be recycled. We wanted to work with the recyclable material in order to work more ecologically and efficiently. TPE is ideal for sole production due to its flexibility and abrasion values. However, you have to pay attention to other things when producing the injection molds. This made it necessary, among other things, to change the mold maker at short notice.”
That caused stress. And took time. Some of the shoes arrived in December last year and are now still in the warehouses of many retailers. So one problem leads to another: The delayed delivery dates mean that retailers put the goods in the warehouse and go into the next round of orders with correspondingly high stocks and less demand.
