HG TOM

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Adidas Speedfactory: Disrupting The Sneaker Manufacturing Process
HG TOM
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 4:27 pm
Adidas is leveraging futuristic automation and additive manufacturing to lead the pack in fast footwear

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On November 15, 2018, HG TOM commented on The Perfect Fit? Adidas Sprints Ahead with 3D Printing :

To answer your second question, I feel that Adidas has benefited from being a first mover in the 3D printed sneaker market. Adidas’ Futurecraft line has garnered serious media attention from athletes, influencers, and general sneaker enthusiasts. These decision makers are not only drawn to the eye catching design of the product, they are also buying in to the production story — Speedfactories printing sneakers through a partnership with a Silicon Valley start-up that utilizes digital light synthesis technology.

I believe the Company needs to continue to invest in their partnership with Carbon, and push their Speedfactory project forward. This will allow Adidas to remain on the knife-edge of innovation, and remain top of mind for existing and future customers.

On November 15, 2018, HG TOM commented on Optimizing athletic performance and recovery using machine learning at WHOOP :

Very exciting concept. Though it sounds like they are utilizing unique metrics to improve athlete performance, I am curious how the company plans to build a mote around these metrics to protect themselves from the much larger competitors (Nike, Fitbit, etc.) from incorporating similar metrics into their wearable devices. Additionally, Nike and Fitbit have a meaningful competitive advantage attributable to the data they collect from millions of customers. Whoop is in a situation where they need to quickly scale their proprietary databases, which is not a simple task.

I am hopeful that the Company can continue to use machine learning and AI to refine their metrics and out-compete their larger rivals.

On November 15, 2018, HG TOM commented on Clover Food Lab: The Fast-Food Chain that aims to solve climate change via Open Innovation :

Very interesting post and topic. As a consumer, I never think about the process that goes into menu selection, but when I take a step back and think through the process, I realize there are an overwhelming number of complexities. For example, not only do you need to decide the items on your menu, but you need to determine what type of ingredients you will use, from where you will source those ingredients, what quantities you should buy, shelf life, etc.

I wonder if restaurants can benefit from the use of machine learning to help them understand consumer preferences and predict trends. This forecasting would enable the Company to identify the ingredients they need to purchase, providing more visibility down the supply chain. This visibility could reduce the amount of waste and create increased negotiating leverage with farmers / suppliers.

On November 15, 2018, HG TOM commented on Everything is Awesome: Product Innovation at LEGO :

Very interesting read. I am curious how LEGO plans to compete with an increasing number of educational building toys entering the market, specifically around coding. Many early stage companies, and as of recently some more established players, have introduced a flurry of products into the market focused on “gamifying” the STEM education process. The educational toys seem to have a competitive advantage in my mind because they cater more to the key decision maker — the parent.

Look at the award winning electronic building blocks company Little Bits for example. This company manufactures highly engaging building sets that not only create extremely exciting, automated finished products such as electric guitars, R2D2 (Star Wars), race cars, etc. they also teach kids the skills needed to code and foster a mindset of creativity and problem solving, which are increasingly important in modern society.

https://littlebits.com/about/

On November 15, 2018, HG TOM commented on 3D Printing Straighter Smiles :

I actually believe that the budding consensus within the orthodontic community is that clear aligners are the optimal way to straighten teeth and improve a patients bite, leading to a higher quality of life in patients if they are treated correctly. The quality issues that arise from clear aligners stem from the fact that dentists are able to treat patients.

Orthodontics is a specialty that deals with the diagnosis, prevention and correction of malpositioned teeth and jaws. Orthodontic school is a highly competitive, three year program that requires dental school as a prerequisite. Orthodondtists are required to complete the written American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) exam to become certified and treat patients with arch wires. Invisalign, like other clear aligner brands, allow dentists to treat patients, which can lead to sub-optimal outcomes, potentially causing meaningful complications with not only a patient’s oral cosmetics, but also their bite and jaw positioning.

On November 15, 2018, HG TOM commented on Comcast: Don’t cut the cord :

This post brings up a very interesting question: Why do I feel like I am constantly on the phone with customer service for my cable provider but never with my content streaming providers (Hulu, Netflix, etc.?). Interestingly, it seems like I am not alone — according to Fortune Magazine, Cable TV providers are consistently ranked last in customer satisfaction while companies like Netflix are rising up the ranks. This comes as a shock to me since a rapidly growing number of customers are “cutting the cord” and Cable TV companies just seem to be hiking rates without improving customer service. This lack of investment in customer service will likely expedite the cable cutting movement, leading to continued declines in the number of cable tv subscribers.

Source: http://fortune.com/2018/05/23/hate-cable-tv-comcast-frontier/