Photos: Fully automated robots enable 30-fold increase in manual-free shoe production

Swiss footwear brand On has significantly expanded its automated shoe production capabilities by opening a second LightSpray facility near Busan, South Korea. This new site operates with 32 fully automated robots, a 30-fold increase from the initial four-robot setup launched in Zurich in 2025. The expansion aims to scale the company’s manual-free shoe upper assembly process, which relies on sophisticated software coordinating multiple robots to produce consistent, high-quality components without human intervention. This digital programming ensures identical manufacturing outcomes across different locations, maintaining engineering standards while decentralizing production. The Busan facility is part of On’s broader strategy to establish nearshore robotic manufacturing hubs close to major consumer markets, with plans to expand similar automated production lines in the Americas and Europe. The first product from this site, the Cloudmonster 3 Hyper featuring a robot-sprayed upper and Helion HF hyper foam, is set for a limited release in March 2026. This development marks a shift from low-volume racing shoes to higher