New Balance Uses Teijin's NANOFRONT for Running Shoe Insoles

Teijin Fibers Limited, the core company of the Teijin Group's polyester fibers business, announced today that it is supplying its high-strength polyester nanofiber NANOFRONT for use in replacement insoles for running shoes made by New Balance. The insoles will be marketed by New Balance Japan and sold in its directly owned shops in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as other sports retail stores nationwide beginning this month.

Thanks to NANOFRONT's excellent frictional properties, the insole offers outstanding slip resistance, which helps prevent a wearer's foot from sliding inside a shoe. NANOFRONT also boasts high moisture absorbency and diffusion for added comfort, making it an ideal material for insoles.
NANOFRONT is a high-strength polyester fiber with a thickness of just 700 nanometers, or 7,500 times smaller than the cross section of human hair. Nano-sized bumps on the surface of NANOFRONT raise frictional force and produce a surface area dozens of times greater than that of regular fiber, resulting in highly superior slip resistance.

NANOFRONT is also used in shoelaces and socks made by New Balance Japan.
Teijin Fibers started commercial production of NANOFRONT in 2008 and has been developing applications in areas such as innerwear, sportswear and industrial materials.

Teijin (TSE 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of sustainable transportation, information and electronics, safety and protection, environment and energy, and healthcare. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 150 companies and around 17,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY 854.4 billion (USD 10.7 billion) and total assets of JPY 762.1 billion (USD 9.5billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.

Source: Teijin Group