§1What this business is
Upper and lining leather are clicked, skived and stitched, the insole is stapled to the last, and the upper is lasted. The lasted shoe is put on an alloy last, slid into the injection moulding machine, and molten PVC is injected into the sole mould, cooled and released; the sprue is trimmed and the shoe finished, checked and packed. PU and expanded PVC soles use similar machines. The profile plans a full factory with CAD pattern grading, imported lasting machines and a 4-station injection machine, selling at home and abroad.
Capacity: 3,00,000 pairs a year (single shift, 25 days a month), valued at ₹7.97 crore.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
An established footwear maker scaling up, or a group with capital and export buyers.
Who it is not for
A first-time founder or anyone without a sales network for lakhs of pairs.
Advantages
- Injected soles bond strongly and need no stitching or cementing
- High output per line
- Large home market and India is a big footwear exporter
- Same plant can switch to PU or expanded PVC soles
Drawbacks
- Very large investment and working capital
- Many imported machines
- Thin margin on a large turnover
- Needs a big trained workforce
Skills you need
- Footwear production planning
- Injection moulding and last management
- Quality testing to buyer standards (SATRA, ISO)
- Managing a large workforce
Why difficulty 5/5: Crore-scale investment, imported machines and a large workforce.
§3Market
Who buys
- Footwear retailers and wholesalers
- Overseas importers and brands
- Institutional buyers of work and uniform shoes
How it sells
- Domestic distributors and retail chains
- Export orders
- Contract manufacturing for brands
Good to know
- The profile says shoes are labour-intensive, which gives India a good chance to become a leading exporter.
- It plans 95% Grade I pairs (₹270) and 5% Grade II (₹185).
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 4-station injection moulding machine (imported) | 1 | ₹14,00,000 |
| Computer with design and grading software and cutter (imported) | 1 | ₹10,00,000 |
| Forepart lasting machine (imported) | 1 | ₹7,00,000 |
| Seat and side lasting machine (imported) | 1 | ₹8,00,000 |
| Swing-beam hydraulic press, 20 tonnes | 4 | ₹6,00,000 |
| Band-knife upper splitting machine (imported) | 1 | ₹4,00,000 |
| Humid heat-setting machine (imported) | 1 | ₹3,00,000 |
| Generator set | 1 | ₹3,00,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Injection Moulded Shoes (2003)
- Upper leather (2.5 sq ft a pair)62,500 sq ft a month at ₹40 per sq ft
- Lining leather (1.25 sq ft a pair)31,250 sq ft a month at ₹20 per sq ft
- PVC for soles5,000 kg a month at ₹40 a kg
- Toe puffs, stiffeners, insoles, shanks, laces, finishing chemicals, packingcosted per pair in the profile
From: DC-MSME project profile — Injection Moulded Shoes (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Central Footwear Training Institute, Agra · Agra →Central Footwear Training Institute, Chennai · Chennai →Agra Leather Board · Agra →Atlanta Trading Company · Mumbai →Bensen Industries · Howrah →Flexole Raman Limited · Mysuru →India Shoe Lace Works · Agra →Indian Eyelet Industries · Kolkata →Lefoot Machines Pvt. Ltd · Chennai →Rakesh Sukhia and Company Limited · Chennai →Salma International · Chennai →Sanghavi Shoe Accessories · Mumbai →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Factory licence
- State Pollution Control Board consent
- BIS certification where the footwear Quality Control Order covers your product
- Importer-Exporter Code
§6Schemes & subsidies
At about ₹3.09 crore the project is above the PMEGP, MUDRA and Stand-Up India limits; CGTMSE can guarantee a loan of up to ₹10 crore without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: land and building ₹40.00 L + machinery and equipment ₹97.00 L (4-station injection moulding machine ₹14.00 L, CAD and cutter ₹10.00 L, lasting machines ₹15.00 L) + pre-operative ₹3.00 L = fixed capital ₹140.00 L; working capital for 3 months ₹168.67 L; total ₹308.67 L.
Working capital: ₹168.67 L for 3 months; raw materials are ₹51.75 L a month (upper leather alone ₹25.00 L).
Prices from 2003 — machinery, land and raw-material costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Council for Leather Exports (CLE)
- The profile says testing to SATRA, BS, DIN and ISO methods is common for export footwear.
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Leather price swings
- Unsold stock when designs change
- Export order cancellations
- Labour turnover
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working injection-moulded leather shoes (pvc sole) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Injection-Moulded Leather Shoes (PVC Sole)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.