For Exena, last 25 years of activity have been years of growth, definitely profitable under many points of view, first of all as regards sales trends and general increase of brand and product awareness all around the world.
Exena and SafeWay shoes are on many worker’s feet in several countries of Europe, Asia, Middle East and North Africa, despite geopolitical upheavals and general trend of safety shoes industrial-manufacturing sector, in which the pursuit of excellence has always been characterized by continuous efforts at production optimization (and this, of course, is synonymous with spending review at all levels).
Exena is aware of that, and its answer to continuously changing scenario is raise the bet: the wager is Levity-X, the 2024 collection flagship line. In continuity with the company’s attitudes and in response to the needs of workers in the field, Levity-X represents a milestone for the development of all the footwear in the Exena product range for the future, both for the iconicity of the shapes and lines and for the innovative contents developed therein.
The design office, in collaboration with production and R&D departments in Via Breda, has put into play all possible and imaginable know-how and expertise accumulated in 25 years of presence on the market and has drawn on the best resources available in the value chain, involving suppliers on one hand and at the same time, to the other hand, working on product aesthetics, technical features and mostly on practicality of use.
Result: a line of versatile models, characterized by attention to comfort and practicality, in which aesthetics is not an end in itself but harmonizes with use and combinability. Whether you face the roughness of clayey construction site soil or live daily with the chaotic floors full of sharp edges in warehouses, workshops or production laboratories, Levity-X guarantees, thanks to the dual-density Air-Hole sole, absorption and release of energy well above the minimum legal requirements. The tread, in fact, is designed to absorb and impart energy evenly to the step, allowing the wearer to put less strain on the joints and to always work with maximum comfort. The air tunnels created in the rear part of the sole right up to the heel are as simple as extraordinarily effective, the “elegance in removing” that adds value to a product oriented towards the highest industry standards.
But it doesn’t end here. The work is completed by: the TPU stabilizer on the back of the heel, which prevents distortions and harmful movements to the ankle joint, as well as protecting the foot from impacts and unwanted stress; the easy-fit sock, useful for keeping the foot clean from dust and external dirt as well as essential for putting on and taking off the foot quickly and easily; the techno-text upper (extremely resistant and rip-stop) or in micro-tech (designed to be, at the same time, breathable and water-repellent); last but not least, the antibacterial, lightweight energy insole with an “air bubble” insert under the heel.
From a technical point of view, these few lines are more than enough to scholastically summarize the Levity-X “shoe”. The real enjoyable aspect, however, is having the Levity-X “concept” on foot, so that entire columns of newspaper articles would not be enough to explain a sensation that goes beyond comfort. The declared objective, firmly rooted in the managers’ minds of Modeling and Research and Development offices in Exena, was to put on the feet of workers a shoe capable of not making regret them walking sneakers, but also to turn this new concept of shoe into a reliable colleague and work partner, on site and in the warehouse. After all, the Levity-X wager seems to have paid off amply.
PRESENT DAYS OPPORTUNITIES
It seems like yesterday when we talked about boots as a great potential innovation. That potential has now been turned into action: Thunder and Nitro are the realization of a market opportunity which in a short time has allowed the company to carve out an important space in a segment with high development potential. The strategic recipe that has allowed us to pave the way towards this segment is simple to summarize but requires years of preparation and competence: spirit of innovation, production flexibility, quickness in implementing the strategy and continuous and mutual synergy with suppliers and subcontractors. The market’s welcome could not have been more enthusiastic, going beyond the budget expectations planned for early 2023: more than 33.000 pairs of boots were sold, with orders scheduled until spring 2024.
As with any successful recipe, being methodical in preparation is not enough if you do not have the most appropriate raw materials. PVC for the Nitro line allows you to have a light, soft and flexible product. Together with the 8% nitrile rubber mixture and the presence of plasticizing agents in the extrusion and injection phase, the articles of the line (Devil, Chimera and Nemesi) are resistant to acids, fertilizers and corrosive sprays, both in hot environments and in cold ones. On the other hand, the polyurethane for the Thunder line is 40% lighter than traditional mixtures, and this allows the Hurricane, Tsunami and Cyclone articles to be the top of the range for resistance to extreme temperatures (up to -30°) and also to the worst enemies (such as fertilizers, acids, fuels, hydrocarbons and petroleum derivatives). In both lines, it was enough to add an anatomical and multi-layer top-dry insole with activated carbon, the tried and tested anti-puncture stainless steel toe-sole combination and a range of colors for all uses and the perfect mix was served for every need of use.
A FUTURE TO BUILD
In every story there are some important moments, cornerstones that allow us to bring completeness to the past and which are essential for structuring the future. In this sense, for Exena 2023 was a year full of “bricks” of consolidation in the complex “wall” of perfecting the organizational structure. Achieving the SA8000 certification represents the most important of these building blocks, especially due to the continuous propensity in developing foreign markets where there is great attention to social responsibility issues among market operators. SA8000 joins the ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications achieved in previous years, with which the company has already certified both environmental sustainability and internal company processes quality. A prestigious seal of trustworthiness and reliability in the eyes of partners, both national and international.
The organizational structures require the support of the physical ones, and this is why a third goods storage warehouse with over 180.000 pairs stock capacity is already active. In this new structure, will be stored footwear of SafeWay Professional Footwear (the brand owned by Exena entirely dedicated to Ho.Re.Ca., food industry and hospitals footwear), to further improve quickness in processing incoming purchase orders and reach customers sooner and better.
And to conclude the work, the company will have a new look, with a completely new headquarters in Civitanova, which will be operational starting from the first months of 2024.
New structures, new people, new ideas. For continuous improvement, on the foundations of a solid past and towards a future yet to be built.
