Making one pair of shoes takes more than 80 separate operations, according to Simplicity Works. The company, based in the science park of Miguel Hernández University in Elche, Spain, developed 3D Bonding: a single injection of polymer forms a flexible "skeleton" that bonds leather, textile, rubber and other parts of a shoe together in seconds.
The European Innovation Council granted €1,290,322 towards a €1.84 million project that built a "smart production line" able to make 100 pairs a day, and reported a 75% cut in waste and a 13% lower carbon footprint. Spanish register data compiled by Empresia show the company active, with sales below €500,000 a year and a small capital increase in July 2026. No brand customer has been named.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Simplicity Works Europe SL, CIF B54590872, Elche, Spain
- Founded
- September 2011
- Business
- Research and licensing of patented manufacturing technology
- Technology
- 3D Bonding single-injection shoe construction
- Tech partners
- Desma, Dürkopp Adler, Huntsman, Optron, AMF, Strategies
- EIC project
- 3D Bonding, 1 Aug 2022 to 31 Jul 2024, closed
- EIC funding
- Blended finance
Where Simplicity Works Stands Today
Simplicity Works' website offers a "3D Bonding dossier" to manufacturers and lists technology partners including the shoe-machine makers Desma and Dürkopp Adler and the chemicals group Huntsman. It claims the process reduces manpower by up to 70%, saves about 50% of leather and fabric and cuts energy use by 30% through local production. The register describes its business as research and licensing of patents, with sales under €500,000 a year; its latest deposited accounts date from 2024.
The Technology: One Shot Instead of Eighty Steps
In 3D Bonding, a polymer is injected once, forming a structure that holds the pieces of the shoe together and, the company says, keeps its shape permanently. According to the CORDIS report, the project built a line for designing, testing and producing shoes at 100 pairs a day, with a 30% improvement in product performance, a 75% reduction in waste and 7.6 kg less CO2 per pair.
"A simultaneous action in which one injection bonds all the pieces of the product in a few seconds."
Simplicity Works websiteWhat the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The project promised a "new industrial process for footwear manufacturing using 3D Bonding". CORDIS reports the pilot line and environmental benefits but no customers, licensees or machines sold.
- An industrial pilot lineDelivered100 pairs a day.
- Environmental gainsDelivered75% less waste, company figure.
- Brand or manufacturer adoptionNot shownNone named.
- Revenue growthNot shownSales under €0.5M.
What Has Happened Since the Award
The Money
The award was blended finance; we found no EIC Fund investment. The register shows share capital of €956,540 after a small increase in July 2026. The company's detailed accounts were not accessible for this article.
What cannot be checked
Which brands or factories use 3D Bonding, how many licences have been sold and whether the EIC took equity are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Simplicity Works presents 3D Bonding as a way to cut labour enough to make shoes close to customers, which it calls "proximity production". The EIC funded the pilot line. The public record shows no manufacturer adopting it yet.
What the project promised
A new industrial process for footwear manufacturing.
What the record shows
A 100-pair-a-day pilot line, strong claimed savings, and sales under €500,000 a year.
The Verdict
Proven on a pilot line, not in the industry
3D Bonding delivered its pilot line and impressive claimed savings. Two years on, Simplicity Works is still a small licensing company with no named industrial adopter.
Simplicity Works has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on company statements, EU project data and Spanish register information, linked throughout.
