Pou Chen Group integrates 5G and AR to upgrade its smart footwear production line — with Siemens and Far EasTone as key partners! Together, they are developing a remote equipment maintenance

ORISOL a subsidiary of Pou Chen Group, announced a collaboration with Siemens and Far EasTone Telecommunications to introduce 5G and AR technologies for upgrading footwear manufacturing lines. This initiative aims to provide remote equipment maintenance, operation guidance, and training services for global footwear brands and their manufacturing facilities.
Through Siemens' open IoT cloud platform MindSphere, the project integrates 5G and Augmented Reality (AR) applications to achieve intelligent upgrades and digital transformation of production lines.
Pou Chen Group is a leading OEM/ODM manufacturer for global brands such as Nike, adidas, Asics, New Balance, and Timberland, producing over 300 million pairs of shoes annually.
Founded in 1999, ORISOL Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between Pou Chen Group and Israel's Orisol company. Its products include automated spraying robots, computerized sewing equipment, and footwear molding solutions. Focused mainly on export markets, ORISOL's clients are well-known contract manufacturers for major international sports footwear brands.

Implementing 5G Smart Production Lines — Aiming to Optimize Efficiency and Enable AR Remote Maintenance

In this three-way collaboration, Far EasTone will provide a dedicated 5G private enterprise network, accelerating ORISOL's ability to capture and analyze machine operation data. This will enhance production efficiency, flexibility, and safety across the entire manufacturing process.
As a subsidiary of Pou Chen Group, ORISOL plays a key role in introducing 5G smart production lines to the footwear industry — a significant milestone for digital transformation within the sector.
The Siemens MindSphere platform serves as the analytical backbone, collecting and processing equipment operation data from the production line. By continuously monitoring power consumption, torque, and frequency, it helps determine optimal maintenance timing and actual service needs. The goal is to improve machine utilization and productivity, extend maintenance intervals, and reduce downtime through predictive maintenance, minimizing unexpected costs while optimizing energy and resource management.
Furthermore, ORISOL's proprietary solution — ROMPS (Remote Operation Maintenance Platform Solution) — integrates 5G and AR technologies to provide remote equipment maintenance, operation guidance, and training services for footwear brands and manufacturing plants, enabling real-time and efficient technical support.
ORISOL Chairman, Mr. Li Chun-Yen, stated that the company is committed to developing comprehensive solutions for every stage of the footwear production process. Beyond automated shoe manufacturing equipment, ORISOL has proactively deployed various software and system platforms to enhance equipment value. Through this three-party collaboration, ORISOL aims to offer customized, scalable, compatible, and digitalized total solutions for the future.
Impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pou Chen Group's revenue in the first half of the year reached NT$122.859 billion, representing a 22% decline year-on-year. The company reported a loss of NT$525 million in the second quarter, or NT$0.18 per share, with footwear manufacturing revenue down approximately 20% compared to the previous year.

Source: Business Next