In the world of personal care and well-being, a groundbreaking collaboration has emerged between Utility Diadora and Medere, an innovative Italian startup specializing in personalized medical devices. This partnership has launched an innovative service designed to provide custom-made anatomical insoles for workers. Utilizing a free and intuitive Web App, the service guarantees a swift, tailored, and compliant process. The core objective is to decisively address the issue of uncertified insoles, which can compromise the legal validity of safety footwear as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). While this pioneering mechanism from Utility Diadora and Medere is highly innovative, it may spark curiosity, especially for those accustomed to more traditional approaches in the medical device field.
Orthopedic insoles can offer significant benefits, yet they can also compromise PPE certification. How does the partnership between Utility Diadora and Medere address this specific challenge?
Giorgio Pira – Global Sales Director – Diadora Utility: “The growing emphasis on workplace well-being has prompted many workers to use orthopedic insoles for enhanced comfort and posture. However, using an insole not certified by the manufacturer invalidates safety shoes as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), exposing both the worker and the company to legal and health risks. The partnership between Utility Diadora and Medere was forged specifically to resolve this critical issue with a solution that is compliant, customized, and easy to implement. Thanks to the Web App developed by Medere, biometric foot data can be collected directly at the company. The insoles are custom designed, validated by an orthopedic technician, and manufactured in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/745, ensuring full compatibility with Diadora Utility safety footwear. The outcome is a system that guarantees regulatory protection, physical well-being, and operational continuity, all without sacrificing safety.”
What are the primary advantages of this system for worker well-being and optimizing business processes? Can you provide examples of physical issues that these insoles can alleviate?
Medere, Marco Mannisi Fondatore Medere: “Today, custom-made insoles represent a tangible tool for safeguarding a worker’s physical well-being. Specifically, the device developed by Medere for Utility Diadora is engineered to adapt to the individual foot morphology and the worker’s specific conditions, offering personalized support and mitigating common problems such as plantar fasciitis, heel spur pain, tendonitis, flat or high arches, lower back pain, and muscle fatigue. This personalization not only enhances posture and comfort but also actively contributes to injury prevention, particularly in roles requiring long hours of standing or repetitive movements.”
Giorgio Salvetti – End User Sales Manager & P.P.E. Trainer Europe – Diadora Utility: “What truly makes this process innovative is the Web App, which simplifies the acquisition of medical prescriptions, images, and videos necessary for 3D foot scans and pressure analysis. In just 20 minutes, without leaving the company or losing work hours, employees can complete the data collection phase. The insoles are then designed and certified by specialized orthopedic technicians. The benefits for companies are twofold: on one hand, it reduces ‘downtime’ and costs associated with external visits or traditional healthcare procedures; on the other hand, it demonstrates a concrete commitment to employee health and prevention, thereby increasing safety levels and employee satisfaction. This represents a revolutionary approach, bringing clinical quality directly into the production environment, a tangible benefit for workers, businesses, and the entire occupational safety ecosystem.”
Creating a personalized medical device (the insole) demands exceptionally high accuracy. What level of precision and reliability is achieved in data collection within a non-clinical setting and by non-specialized personnel?
Medere, Marco Mannisi Fondatore Medere: “One of the most innovative aspects of the solution proposed by Medere and Utility Diadora is its ability to combine a high level of technical precision with speed and ease of use. In fact, our free Web App allows the worker (or a company operator) to accurately perform a foot scan simply by using a smartphone and an A4 sheet as a reference for proportions. Furthermore, the procedure is guided step-by-step by video tutorials, enabling the quick capture of photos and videos that the Medere system then verifies. Reliability is ensured by the fact that the collected data is processed by a team of orthopedic technicians and biomedical engineers, who create the custom insole based on a medical prescription. Each device is accompanied by a Declaration of Conformity in accordance with European Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices and is compatible with specific models of Utility Diadora safety shoes. However, the true strength of the system also lies in its extreme user-friendliness; no medical or technical expertise is required, as the interface is designed to be accessible to anyone. Even though the process occurs within the company and is entirely digital, the result is a certified insole that maintains the footwear’s legal qualification as PPE and enhances its effectiveness in terms of ergonomics, protection, and worker well-being. The service is already active and available. Interested companies simply need to contact Diadora Utility, who will then direct them to the designated distributor for their specific region. There’s no need to purchase equipment or implement complex training programs. Companies can register for free on the Web App and initiate the supply of orthopedic insoles for all employees.”
For more info:
Marco Grego – Diadora Utility – End User Sales Specialist Italy – marco.grego@diadora.com
Giorgio Pira – Global Sales Director – Diadora Utility
Marco Mannisi – Medere’s founder
Giorgio Salvetti – End User Sales Manager & P.P.E. Trainer Europe – Diadora Utility