Major ministries of defence ‐ including the French army‐ have been wearing Bata’s footgear collection, consisting of safety shoes and matching socks, for years. Our footwear is also frequently worn by fire brigades and police forces (including the Metropolitan Police of London) and other uniformed services. These organizations choose footwear from Bata Industrials because it offers the perfect balance of protection and comfort, both under normal and extreme conditions.
Bata Industrials is part of the Bata Shoe Organisation (BSO), worldwide one of the largest manufacturers and sellers of shoes, with more than 40,000 people active in 50 countries on nearly every continent. Bata Industrials is a market leader in the Benelux for industrial shoes and combat boots, and has production facilities all over the world.
MILITARY FOOTWEAR
Comfort and safety, all in one shoe? Bata knows that designing a shoe that is waterproof and breathable requires some ingenious brainwork. Member of the NIID since 2005, Bata Industrials has a substantial R&D department that tackles the applications and behaviours of various materials on a daily basis. All this effort goes to creating shoes that fit better and are even safer and more comfortable.
We strive to unlock the potential of the latest technological innovations in lightweight materials, both natural products as well as a variety of synthetics. We are also the only company in the Netherlands with a licence for the well-known GORE-TEX material which is also available in a &squo;cold-wet weather&squo; version.
HISTORY IN COMBAT BOOTS
Our development and production processes are based on more than 100 years of experience as the largest shoe manufacturer in the world. Since the 1970s, we have specialised in the development and production of safety shoes for military personnel. Among other things, this led to the development of the M90 combat boot for the Dutch armed forces in the mid-1980s.
SENTINEL M900 COMBAT BOOTS
Currently, we develop a special version of the successor to the M90 boots together with various security forces: the Sentinel M900 combat boots. In developing this boot, we conducted an extensive search to find the right balance between weight, stability, grip and climate control. After all, the last thing members of the armed forces and relief workers want to have to think about while in action is their footwear. Naturally the same principles holds true for the other sectors which have found their way to Bata, including construction and industry.
MODERN COMBAT BOOT PRODUCTION LINES
Thanks to our brand-new production line in Best, we are able to be flexible in our response to any order quantity in any desired size, from 35 through 49. Some of our collections are even available in four different widths. Additionally, with our French company Marbot, we now have access to a production facility that supplies some 200,000 Brodequin combat boots to the French army on an annual basis.
SOCKS
In addition to safety shoes, we also manufacture socks. The wrong sock can actually reverse the comfort of a safety shoe. Bata socks are made from special yarns which keep feet dry, cool and odour-free.