ADDG touting new elastomer insole technology

NEW YORK—One New York City-based company is using rubber materials to introduce a new orthotics product designed to support the foot comfort of active adults.

Alliance Design & Development Group has created orthotics with adjustable arch technology, which it claims is the first of its kind. ADDG specifically engineered SelectFlex insoles to help prevent the many ailments that can afflict those who work on their feet all day, particularly in industrial fields like the military, manufacturing and assembly, energy and utilities, health services, construction, transportation and material moving.

It's described by ADDG Chief Technology Officer Peter Tarlton as an option somewhere between pre-fab show soles commonly made available to consumers in retails and online, and the traditional custom orthotics that have been available for a number of years.

It is a 100-percent polymer and elastomer-based material that is made both in Taiwan and the U.S. The engineering thermoplastics involved include a medical grade polyethylene copolymer shell, a polyurethane copolymer high resistant flexible foam footbed, a thermoplastic elastomer polymer heel and a nylon antimicrobial fabric cover.

"We have used augmented technology to adjust how joints are supported to give the area where all your energy is expended more comfort—at the arch," Tarlton said. "These are top-end, medical grade polymers."

He said the product has been tested at Westpak, a certified product testing lab in San Diego that individually flex-cycle tested the arch of the insole in five different sizes. The SelectFlex insole withstood approximately a half-million flexes over a condensed 9-day period without a single failure to prove premium engineering polymer and design durability, the company claimed.

ADDG's mission is to prevent injuries, promote efficient recovery and help people lead pain-free lives through advanced wellness technologies, intuitively controlled interfaces and assistive human augmentation solutions that deliver long-term therapeutic benefits. It has found that industry data indicates 70-80 percent of people are susceptible to foot-over pronation, which is caused when the ankle rolls excessively inward, or the arch collapses excessively downward as with flat feet.

This can lead to such injuries as plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, shin splints, iliotibial band syndrome on outer knees, and foot or lower leg stress fractures. It also can cause lower back pain.

By supporting the arch and the heel, the SelectFlex absorbs foot strike impact, dissipates walking pressures and provides up to 50 percent more ankle stability. Body mass is more evenly distributed along the length of the spinal column. It also can absorb impact on the foot by providing additional heel cushion, according to ADDG.

"(We believe) it's the first insole that conforms to the arch, and actually lifts it," Tarlton said. "It's a disruptive benefit."

Marketing the product will be important for ADDG because it made an approximately $2.5 million investment in its design and development, from engineering and manufacturing costs to new employee salaries, said CEO Barry Renow. ADDG is working with a manufacturing partner that brings six decades of experience to make the insoles both domestically for the military market and overseas for other markets. Several patents also have been developed for the technology.

The company is taking both a business-to-consumer and business-to-business approach in sales and marketing, Renow said. Consumers can purchase directly online on Amazon and through other digital marketing efforts such as Facebook ads.

Custom-made orthotics typically run anywhere from $300-$600, according to Renow, but the rubber-based properties that the SelectFlex is made from helps to keep the cost at "as little as a quarter of orthotics available today," he said. The end product also is lighter and lasts longer, ADDG said.

That could be a major benefit to large employers, which is another target for the company. ADDG took the SelectFlex to a few trade shows, and was planning on displaying at others before the coronavirus impact canceled most events.

Renow's team has hired manufacturing reps to help market to large employers, specifically in industrial operations and ergonomics. Rather than approaching procurement or HR leaders, they are more likely to interact with a large employer's occupational nurse or chief ergonomist, who might be able to better understand the value.

"A good market for us are those employers who give their team members a compression mat for a shop floor or an area," Renow said. "The problem is those employees may be walking on and off those mats. You can't give a compression mat to everyone to take with them wherever they go on the job."

For example, ADDG is working with Genetech on providing these insoles for their employees. Genetech admittedly is on the front lines of recognizing the value, given they offer employees efficient and comfortable workspaces that may contain an ergonomic room at some locations. Renow believes other employers will be looking for products to protect workers, reduce injuries and raise productivity.

"We are looking to change mindsets," Renow said.

ADDG employs nearly 25 and has locations in three states, London and Taiwan. As a young company, it expects to double sales year-over-year for the next couple of years, pending the impact of COVID-19 on sales.

SelectFlex orthotics work with most types of footwear, from work and athletic shoes to slip resistant shoes and steel-toed safety boots. ADDG claimed they're built to last six months to a year or longer with normal usage but, even at a minimum of four months, they should last 88 percent longer than over-the-counter gel and foam insoles.