OSAKA -- Asics, the Japanese company behind Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, will introduce a host of robots to a plant in Japan so that it can swiftly respond to the latest consumer trends and put its footwear on store shelves faster.
Robots will take over a third of the production process at a factory in Tottori Prefecture next spring. They will handle the step of stitching the upper -- the part of the shoe that covers the foot -- to the sole. This will halve the number of workers required.
