Timberland Introduces The Revolutionary PreciseFIT™ System
IDSA and BusinessWeek Honour Timberland® For Innovation in Footwear

The Timberland Company today introduced a breakthrough, award-winning footwear technology that will make a significant impact on the men’s footwear market.  Catering to the 60% of men who are unable to get an optimal fit through traditional footwear – and the 35% of men who have a half-size or greater difference between their left and right feet – the new patent-pending Timberland® PreciseFit™ system takes an entirely new approach to fit.    By going beyond length and width to address forefoot volume using an innovative footbed insert system, PreciseFit™ technology delivers a perfect fit every time. 

The Timberland® PreciseFit™ has been honoured by The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and BusinessWeek with a 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA).  The IDEA award is given to companies that display superior industrial design and creative solutions in today’s marketplace. In addition, the PreciseFit™ system has been selected for inclusion in the new exhibit, Shoes: Innovation at Your Feet, created by National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, opening in July at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Museum in Alexandria, Virginia.
  
Extensive research involving 4,000 subjects by Timberland’s Invention Factory revealed that the greatest dimensional differences exist in the girth of the forefoot, making it the primary driver of proper fit. Traditional fit paradigms focus on length and width rather than girth, forcing consumers to either cram their feet into shoes that are too tight, or trade up to longer shoes that leave a looser fit with gaps. In a separate survey, 50% of men questioned admitted to buying a pair of shoes even though they were not comfortable or did not fit properly.  This alleviates one fit issue while creating another.

The PreciseFit™ system addresses this challenge head-on, allowing consumers to customize their fit through a simple yet revolutionary system of forefoot inserts.  Each pair of shoes comes with a set of inserts of varying thicknesses that lock on to a removable footbed, creating optimal volume in each shoe and allowing for differences between left and right feet.  One simply needs to snap-lock the footbed insert that is appropriate, and then replacing it back into the shoe. The thicker insert minimizes volume in the shoe, while the thinner insert adds volume.  The PreciseFit™ system also allows for adjustment according to variation in socks thickness and feet due to weather and activities. This tailored fit works in conjunction with the Timberland Smart Comfort™ system to give men an unparalleled experience in terms of fit and comfort. The Smart Comfort™ system is engineered to ensure that every part of your shoe brings you the ultimate experience in comfort. It has a footbed that evenly distributes the impact force when one is walking or standing, creating a pressure-free zone.