Paces ahead in safety

KAMU COMBINES 50 YEARS OF PPE EXPERIENCE WITH LEADING MODERN TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE FATIGUE-FIGHTING WORK SHOE.

Even thought it gets worn every day, footwear often gets taken for granted.

“Until my feet fail me” is a common expression of hard work, because the feet are usually the first thing to go after a gruelling day.

But what if it didn’t have to be this way? To take care of anything, you’ve got to first take care of yourself. And that starts from the ground up –with the feet.

Lusy Hartanu, founder and global head of sales for the safety footwear company KAMU, put it best.

“If your mind is on the heaviness in your feet, the chafing, the pressure points, your mind is not 100 per cent on the job,” she told Safe to Work.

An ill-fitting shoe causes the feet to roll, which puts stress on the knees, hips and spine – an easy ticket to long-lasting pain.

Any good builder begins with the foundations, and that’s why KAMU has made it its mission to supply intelligent, empowering work footwear to the heavy industries. Designed specifically for harsh Australian conditions, KAMU footwear is keeping workers protected while also fighting fatigue.

Recently founded by three sisters in Australia, KAMU is a new name on the market, but its history goes back generations. It started in Indonesia in the 1970s with Berkat Safety, which has grown to be a leading distributor of personal protective equipment (PPE) across Asia. Today, the Berkat Group is a designer and manufacturer of premium-quality safety footwear brands like Krushers and Aetos.

“When we decided to venture into the Australian market, we had a firm foundation of knowledge ready to go. We had honed our skills in all the departments of our parents’ companies before taking the leap,” Luvy Hartanu, another founding sister and business development director, said.

So what is it that makes KAMU so special? The heart of KAMU’s footwear design is its energy-efficiency, which combats fatigue.

“It’s simple,” Lusy Hartanu said. “People get their motivation from their energy, and we believe that the right footwear makes the job easier and the day more agreeable.”

Unlike other brands, KAMU utilises a four-layer sole design, incorporating an anti-fatigue layer of Infinergy as an additional midsole.

“The Infinergy technology has come to world fame for use in top-performance running shoes, empowering movement with a 57 per cent return on the energy we put into every step,” Lusy Hartanu said.

The effect of this is a shoe that not only keeps the wearer safe, but also helps reclaim spent energy, comfortably powering workers through the day.

“Nothing drains your energy levels and focus quite as much as discomfort”, Lusy Hartanu said.

“There’s the physical fatigue that starts in the feet and legs, and over the course of a long day will tire your whole body out. Then there’s the mental fatigue, too.

“People buy boots that feel comfortable when they try them on for three minutes because their main focus is on the short-term underfoot comfort.

“What’s just as important is the longterm comfort, and there are a variety of components and factors, not just the sole, in the construction that will contribute to that.”

KAMU footwear is developed for the Australian workforce through a collaboration of experts across Australia, Germany and Indonesia, combining local R&D to meet the Australian market needs, performance material science, and leadership in footwear manufacturing.

KAMU takes a holistic approach to its design process, tackling fatigue from every angle.

The footwear comes with a range of base and optional technologies, such as Coolmax, a breathable internal lining to help moisture evaporate while also making the boot more durable; or Sympatex, a waterproof, breathable membrane. The boots also come with a slew of safety features and customisable options, like metallic or non-metallic composite toecaps rated to 200 joules; non-metallic perforation resistant inserts; and more.

“The KAMU footwear range is engineered with ultimate comfort technologies to keep you dry, cool and energised,” Lusy Hartanu said.

“It lets you feel cooler in hot environments like a mine site in the scorching Pilbara. This reduces sweating in the feet, which translates to fewer blisters and bacterial infections. In cold conditions, this helps keep your feet from getting wet and clammy.

“The boots also have excellent slipresistance. Our certification exceeds SRC (Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 ) standards by 10 to 38 per cent.

“Another big achievement for KAMU is that, even with the extra Infinergy midsole, we’ve managed to lower the overall boot weight – they’re lighter than comparable models by other brands.”

KAMU designs its footwear from beginning to end, with the mouldmaking done in-house. This gives the company control over the entire process, from inception to finished product.

“Australia has established iconic footwear brands, all the true-blue Aussie names which have offered comfortable and solid boots for decades,” Lusy Hartanu said.

“We still see a great opportunity to enter the market with a new concept that takes the performance and comfort of safety footwear to a new level. We have learned from our research that the needs and wants of the younger generations of Australian workers have changed and will change quite significantly.

“In Europe, we can see very interesting developments in safety footwear technology. So much has happened in the outdoor and athletic footwear industry, too, innovations that can be transferred into workwear and footwear.

“And since a lot of Australian and international mining and energy companies like Rio Tinto, Orica, Newmont and Thiess already trust us with products that were perfected for South-East Asia, it was the logical next step for us to offer them, with KAMU, a new product range custom designed for Australian work conditions.”

KAMU offers industry-specific work boots, tailored to different demands.

“Mining work often requires traversing uneven terrain,” Lusy Hartanu said. “Our higher cut models such as the Edison 170 and the Volta 270 high-leg rigger are designed to provide better support in the ankle and arch areas.

“We have also developed our rubber nitrile outsole specifically for mining boots. It’s heat resistant to 300 degrees, resistant to oil, acids and chemicals as well as anti-static.

“This outsole features pronounced lugs and a durable rubber compound to provide exceptional traction on various terrains encountered in mining operations. The unique lug design helps shed mud and debris, reducing the risk of slips and falls.