On reimagines shoe manufacturing process with launch of LightSpray factory in South Korea

Swiss sportswear brand On has taken the wraps off a new LightSpray factory in South Korea.

Following the opening of its first factory in Zurich last year, the second location near Busan adds another 32 fully automated robots, set to increase global LightSpray production capacity 30-fold in 2026.

In a LinkedIn post, On said: “What began as a four-year development journey, followed by the opening of its first dedicated facility, LightSpray is now ready to scale.”

“The factory launch coincides with the introduction of the LightSpray Cloudmonster 3 Hyper - the first shoe upper sprayed at the new factory and the the ultimate companion for long runs and tempo runs, featuring full length Helion HF hyper foam and “Sprayed in Korea” visible on the inside sole. The shoe debuts with a limited release at on.com and in On retail stores in North America on 5th March.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Automation will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.