Changshin Selected in the Footwear Manufacturer Category at the 2026 Brand of the Year Awards

• Surpassed 1 billion pairs in cumulative footwear production in 2025, strengthening global competitiveness through high-performance footwear R&D and AI-driven manufacturing innovation
• Marking its 45th anniversary, Changshin extends manufacturing innovation with AX, setting a new standard for the global footwear industry
• A consumer-voted brand awards program with a 24-year history, in which about 700,000 consumers vote each year

Changshin (CEO Choongil Nam), a global footwear manufacturer, has been selected in the Footwear Manufacturer category of the 2026 Brand of the Year Awards, organized by the Customers Council.

Now in its 24th year, the 2026 Brand of the Year Awards is a brand awards program in which consumers vote directly to select and honor the brands that define the year. About 700,000 consumers take part in the voting each year, and the top brand in each category is selected by combining online consumer voting and one-on-one telephone survey results, each weighted 50 percent. From 2003 through 2025, cumulative voter participation reached about 10.76 million people and about 69.4 million votes.

The selection is significant in that, on the foundation of footwear development and manufacturing competitiveness accumulated over the past 45 years, the brand value Changshin has steadily built in areas including technological innovation, digital transformation, talent development, and sustainability management has translated into consumers’ choice. Headquartered in Saha-gu, Busan, Changshin is a global footwear manufacturer that surpassed 1 billion pairs in cumulative footwear production in April 2025. Since establishing its first overseas subsidiary in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, in 1994, the company has expanded its production bases into China, Indonesia, and beyond, and about 81,000 employees now work at its global sites.

Since its founding in 1981, Changshin has continually innovated its production methods and manufacturing competitiveness. In 1998, it became the first in Korea’s footwear industry to adopt the Toyota Production System (TPS), reducing waste in its processes and raising production efficiency and quality competitiveness. The company is also strengthening its capabilities in high-performance footwear development, including high-functionality running shoes and Track & Field products, centered on its R&D center in Korea.

More recently, the company has been extending this manufacturing innovation into AI and data. Changshin is building next-generation systems centered on SAP S/4HANA and driving the digital transformation of its global production operations. It is also expanding the application of AI technologies on the production floor, including quality inspection using Vision AI and the conversion of tacit manufacturing knowledge, the experience and know-how of skilled workers, into data.

Changshin has also earned external recognition for its performance in talent development, employment, and the environment. In 2024, it received the grand prize at the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s best-practice competition for employer-led vocational competency development training, for talent development and job creation through the Craftsmanship Training Program run with local specialized vocational high schools. In 2025, it received the Minister of Employment and Labor Award as an outstanding company under the Affirmative Action program for contributing to the growth of female talent and the spread of a work-family balance culture. It also obtained Leadership A, the highest grade, in the 2025 CDP climate change assessment.

Changshin CEO Choongil Nam said, “This Brand of the Year award is deeply meaningful in that consumers have recognized the footwear development and manufacturing competitiveness we have built over the past 45 years and our continued efforts at innovation,” adding, “We will continue to actively bring AI and data onto the manufacturing floor and set a new standard for global footwear manufacturing.”

※ SAP S/4HANA: an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system that manages a company’s core operations and data in an integrated way