go Edition 1 . 2008FootwearNews!go!commentCome with us on a short, informativejourney through the international world ofshoe fashion, production techniques andthe highlights of ELASTOGRAN.

go! presents two of the football boots ona high-tech level, visits the successfulcolleagues of EPOL in Turkey, shows youthe Shoe Development Centre in Italy,proves that young designers can alsocreate the most outlandish models with PU materials, brings you the latest on Elastopan Keep Walking, the solesystem with excellent durability, and ex-plains why Elastopan Climate Controlis the absolute paradise for our feet. Andthen we have the hottest trade fair tip forautumn. By the way, if you have a topicor two for us or an idea for the next issueof go!, we are all ears. Have fun with thenew go!

Dr Johann Diedrich Brand, GeneralManager, European Business Manage-ment Footwear

Walk on and onand on ... feeling as fresh as when you set out with new soles made out of Elastopan

Keep Walking.

Following the motto: You can always go abit further, longer and more comfortably you just have to walk on the right

To be continued on page 3

The problem is well known, and can behighly annoying: The soles of our feet havelarge moist areas, better known as perspiratory glands.

Perspiration from these perspiratory glandscan only be absorbed by up to 20 per centby normal shoes. Which is bad for the shoes,and bad for those wearing them. High time,in other words, for a drier solution.

No sooner said than done. In collaborationwith the Italian sole producer ValfussbettELASTOGRAN has found an absolutely unique and, more importantly, efficient solution. Climate Control the name of thenew generation of a PU system for insoles can absorb around 300 per cent more of the inconvenient moisture than any other conventional insole. One main reason for this is that the properties of the new poly-urethane development Elastopan ClimateControl are excellent. They function in twosteps.

First: When you wear these shoes, the moisture is withheld by the foam structureof the insole.Second: When you take the shoes off, theinsole rapidly emits the moisture it has stored. The result is dry feet dry shoes. Asproven in tests.

And the best thing is: The Dry Step insoleidea with Elastopan Climate Control fits allpopular types of shoes, guaranteeing drysteps, step by step.

Contact: franco.arrigoni@elastogran.it

Step by Step Dry Steps. Putting a stop to sweaty feet withElastopan Climate Control and a cleverproduct idea step by step.

Simply theBest.PU has once again come out tops in an extensive pilot study by SATRATechnology, GB. In the so-called com-pression set test the soles made out of polyurethane showed considerableadvantages over other materials.

The compression set test is a specialmethod to investigate compression i.e.the ability of soles to return to their original shape. Both conventional staticmethods and newer dynamic tests werenow used by SATRA. With excellent results for the all-rounderpolyurethane.

Contact:Mike George, mikeg@satra.co.ukMike Wilson, mikew@satra.co.uk

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Continuation of page 1

soles, PU specialists from ELASTOGRANhave now made a leap forwards.

Elastopan Keep Walking is the name of the new material for untroubled walking and running enjoyment. A polyester-based

system with extraordinaryhydrolysis stability and thesame mechanical long-termproperties.

Another highlight is that the

go!exhibitionNot to beMissed.Shoe and sole experts must not missthe SIMAC in Bologna, this yearstrade fair highlight.

This is where everything is examined by an expert audience that stands for the future, technical innovations and market-driven opportunities in the inter-national shoe industry. And, of course,in the thick of it, as every year, are thelatest developments and material trendsat ELASTOGRAN. We can be curious tosee what is awaiting us in the way ofthe latest design ideas, new sole modelsand smart applications. Presented on a newly designed booth,now with an area of 150 square metres. And, as ever, manned by our poly-urethane experts, who look forward to your visit. Not only because they reallyhave something to offer you, but also

because your opinion is im-portant to us. So dont forget:SIMAC Bologna, internationalexhibition of machines for the shoe and leather goods in-dustry, from 28 to 30 October2008.

new technology can be used for nearly alltypes of shoe from leisure and street shoesto safety, sports, trekking and hiking shoes.Also, incidentally, as midsole and outersoles, from low density to compact systems.

This factor and the considerably improveddurability, and therefore longevity, makeElastopan Keep Walking an ideal materialfor high-quality shoes for all purposes. Whichyou can feel without exaggerating afterwalking distances where other soles wouldalready have brought you to your knees.

Contact: jean-paul.roux@elastogran.frfranco.arrigoni@elastogran.it

A sporting performance: soles made of Elastopan Keep Walking

airiness. And the second round of thedesign contest is just around the corner.The best designs will be awarded withprizes on 21 June 2008 in the Veneto.

Sometimes simple solutions enable companies to get ahead such as atEPOL in Turkey.

For Ergun Turan and Erhan ubuku,responsible for Sales and ApplicationTechnology at EPOL (Elastogran Poliretan

Sanayi ve Ticaret), thesuccess enjoyed in recentyears is as easy to ex-plain as it is convincing:closeness to the customer,being able to act im-mediately in emergencies,offering fast solutions and, of course, selling aproduct which both thebuyer and seller can beproud of. Despite theirhigh level of dedication,both men view their jobin a relaxed manner:

Sometimes you just have to drill thickboards, states Ergun Turan. For nearlythree years, he was unable even to arrangea meeting to talk to a shoe customer thatELASTOGRAN and BASF had lost prior to the acquisition of what is now EPOL. But then he succeeded. We got the

business back and now supply approx. 95 per cent of the customers PU require-ments.Turan was previously involved in PUsystems and TPU at BASF Turkey. But itwas only when EPOL was established as a local producer that we were able to tap our full potential. ubuku embarked onhis career at EPOL in an unconventional manner as a model. A photographer waslooking for themes for brochures and presentations. The rest is made up of enjoy-ing working with PU, the team and a matter of attitude: When a customer calls,I can set off immediately to solve the problem there and then. Our customers alsoappreciate this flexibility. And they createadditional commercial success. Looselybased on the motto: Proximity is much better.

Contact: ergun.turan@elastogran.com.trerhan.cubukcu@elastogran.com.tr

Proximity is muchBetter.

Footwear specialists from Elastogran Turkey: Ergun Turan und Erhan ubuku

How ELASTOGRAN arouses designersinterest in polyurethane.

Take a group of talented, ambitious youngdesigners and a demanding contest with theobjective: the easiness of designing creativeshoe fashion with polyurethane. The resultsof this contest could already be admired lastyear in Brenta Riviera, at the shoe designcontest of the Politecnico Calzaturiero. Un-dreamed-of variety, bold ideas, creative flightsof fancy, ecstatic winners and the knowledgethat, with the flexible material polyurethane,a new variety of design is created, beside theease to prevail in all dimensions. A never-ending challenge for researchers andtechnicians at ELASTOGRAN and a never-endingsource of

possibilities for those still in search ofa material to give them inspirationand ideas for the international shoefashion. Now that many more peopleknow this, there is also a printedreminder of the shoe design contest2007.

With the most spectacular designs that caused a furore not only because of theircreativity but also due to the material em-ployed, i.e. polyurethane the discovery of

Design: Paolo Vendramini

The Discovery of Airiness.

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Design: Alice Nicotra

The catalogue containing the best designscan be obtained at: nicoletta.fissore@elastogran.itinfo@politecnicocalzaturiero.it

Watch out for the superstars boots.Theyve not only got Lotto written onthem, theyre also ready for a winner.

Todays top players do not only depend ontheir feet for their success, but also on thefootball boots they wear. How do theyshoot? With the inside of the foot, the out-side or the tip? How heavy, fast or capable of strong spurts is the man? Where does the boot pinch him? In the past, there was a football-philosophical answer fromthe trainer and a pair of ready-made shoes.Nowadays, there is a variety of possibilitiesin this sensitive area that enable our football heroes to improve their footagework even further.

The best examples: the Zhero EvolutionDue by Lotto with its high-tech interior andexterior lives. The soles and heel caps ofthese boots are made out of particularlyabrasion-proof yet flexible TPU (Elastollan).This material guarantees football heroessuch as Luca Toni excellent longevity

and robustness of the material, good per-formance in all weather conditions and protects those expensive feet from injury.

Or the F50 TUNIT by adidas, which can beadjusted individually to the wearers feet.The material in the heel area, for example,where a high degree of stability is required,can be particularly strong and stable. The further it goes to the toes, the softerand more flexible the TPU of the chassisbecomes, a transparent element that can beequated to: Full speed ahead.

So when the stars enter the stadium todayto battle for goals, points and trophies, onething is for sure: The genius can be foundwithin the players, but several geniuses havealso taken hold of their shoes and facilitatespectacular scenes not least thanks to theconstant innovations by Lotto, adidas and,of course, ELASTOGRAN.

Contact: martin.vallo@elastogran.debruno.taricco@elastogran.it

Luca PlaysLotto. Top: adidas F50 TUNIT Bottom: Lotto Zhero Evolution Due

Publisher: Elastogran Italia spaStrada per Poirino 3814019 Villanova d'Asti (AT)P.I. 00514540012elastogran@elastogran.de www.elastogran.com

Editorial staff: Dr Sylvia Kaufmann, Dr JohannDiedrich Brand, Dr Nicoletta Fissore

Concept, Text, Design: Alder Koenig, D-Hamburg

Photos: adidas, Elastogran GmbH, Getty Images,Heaven on Heels, Lotto Sport Italia Spa, PolitecnicoCalzaturiero, Valfussbett srl

Lithography: bockermann medien.repro, D-Bnde

Print: Grohmann Druck, D-Bnde

go! Imp r i n t

conditions can see more. Which is why thenew machine also produces like any othernormal plant, albeit in small, simulatedruns.

The idea behind it is the scientific curiosityto recognise even the slightest weakness inthe material or in the production of existingand new sole systems, and to immediatelyeliminate them. The plant itself consists oftwo reactors for the components polyol andprepolymer. It also has two stations withsuitable tools for moulds which operate likea production carrousel, thus increasing flexibility and testability.

It was actually especially planned for application technology in the shoe area, butit can also be used for other applications inother System Houses. In other words, those

thread in the smart accessories made fromthe ELASTOGRAN material Elastollan

ensures that they fit well on nearly all highheels.

Variety is also the name of the game.Depending on which design the wearer prefers, there are small practical rings in classic design in the shape of a calyx anddiamond rings, which can be placed ontop of one another, depending on the heightof the heels. Heaven on Heels is offeredas a complete set in a small bag for thehandbag. This fashionable yet practicalidea was developed by Astrid Eppinger andJulia Derndinger, both of whom are directors of Dreamware GmbH in Wohltorfnear Hamburg. It only remains for us towish you fun with your high heels withoutteetering.Contact: marc.wilken@elastogran.de

something whenyou walk the sexyhip swing. But theycan also be reallyuncomfortable foryour feet and spine.And as for the par-quet flooring itcan look like a carroof after a hail-storm, after a goodparty.

Help is on its wayin the form of small, colourful covers thatcan be pulled over the high heels, like putting a ring on a finger. The small objectsare round, and act like a buffer between the high heel and the hard ground. Theycan be attached and removed again withoutanyone noticing at any time, a soft internal

I t s just a Matter of Technology.The soles are under the spotlight at thenew pilot plant at the Shoe DevelopmentCentre in Villanova dAsti parameter forparameter.

Those who are able to test their materialsand systems under quasi real production

Heaven on Heels is the dazzling newidea made out of Elastollan, making highheels so much more comfortable in future.

High heels are sexy, make legs look longer,emphasise your calves, push out breastsand bottoms, and create that certain

Heaven onHeels.

New pilot plant in the Shoe Development Centre in Villanova d'Asti

who exactly want to know what is possible in modern sole production knowa lot more after going to Villanova dAsti.

Top design: unusual covers for high heels made of TPU

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