Workers in the chemical plant stretch and flatten huge gobs of raw rubber on heavy-duty rollers. Cutters trim sheets of nylon, leather and other fabric for the uppers. Stitchers sew the uppers into place. Skilled metal workers mill steel molds that bake the three-dimensional outsoles. Assembly line workers glue together the various components.
Workers even lace and box the shoes.
The factory works with amazing efficiency, especially considering that many of the workers are in the first industrial jobs of their lives. Vahtervuo sees the workers' possessions and the factories' success as evidence Nike is doing more right than wrong. We are trying to fight our way out of that image because we think they were isolated. But the whole company has been stamped. Park is the South Korean managing director of the factory.