USA: Wolverine Advances Safety-Toe Footwear Technology

Wolverine Boots and Shoes, a division of Wolverine World Wide Inc, (NYSE:WWW), has teamed up with one of the leading forces in aerospace to develop Structurally Engineered Moldable Composite (SEMC®) technology to manufacture innovative composite safety-toe footwear. "The new line of Wolverine SEMC footwear was designed to meet the need for advanced safety features for the working consumer," said Ted Gedra, executive vice president of the Wolverine Footwear Group. "We will continue aggressive research to develop new methods for improving workers' safety and the standards of protective footwear." According to statistics from the US Department of Labor, 1995 to 1997, of the 200,000 foot injuries that occurred in the workplace, nearly 70,000 were specifically toe-related and resulted in employees missing an average of five days of work. Wolverine SEMC technology has been designed for a variety of work environments to help workers avoid painful injuries and businesses realize increased productivity and cost savings. Wolverine SEMC safety-toe has several advantages over traditional steel toe products. It is 30 per cent lighter than steel, resists chemicals and heat, offers optimal comfort in cold weather and does not conduct electricity. Additionally, several styles do not have metallic hardware, allowing airport and delivery personnel to easily pass through security detection gates and are available with either static-dissipating or electrical-hazard features. Wolverine SEMC is available with the patented Wolverine DuraShocks comfort system and Wolverine Fusion comfort construction.