Diyarbakır, Turkey

Diyarbakır
Production Facility

Europe's first and only dedicated fibre composite toecap factory — a purpose-built facility that changed what was possible for the European safety footwear supply chain.

A European First

The Factory That
Changed the Industry

Until Isco built the Diyarbakır facility, there was no European manufacturer of fibre composite toecaps. Every European safety shoe brand that wanted to offer a non-metallic composite toecap model had only one option: source from Asia. That meant long lead times, long supply chains, high minimum order quantities, and no European certified quality oversight.

Isco invested in purpose-built compression moulding infrastructure and built the technical expertise to manufacture fibre composite toecaps to EN ISO 22568-2 on the European continent — for the first time. The Diyarbakır factory is that investment made real, and it remains the only facility of its kind in Europe.

Europe's First Only European Producer EN ISO 22568-2 Purpose-Built Facility
Fibre composite toecaps Diyarbakır Fibre composite toecap detail Fibre composite toecap range
Why No One Else Has Done This

The Technical Demands of
Fibre Composite Production

Fibre composite toecap manufacturing is not a simple process. The combination of technical complexity and certification requirements explains why no other European supplier has built this capability.

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Specialist Equipment

High-tonnage hydraulic compression presses with precision temperature-controlled matched metal tooling — expensive to specify, build and maintain to the tolerances required for consistent toecap geometry.

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Material Science

We impregnate glass fibre reinforcement with our own resin system and mature it under controlled temperature before moulding. Charge weight, ply count and fibre orientation are held to tight limits, and thermoset chemistry is irreversible — scrap cannot be re-processed, so process consistency is critical.

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Dimensional Control

Uniform wall thickness, controlled shrinkage and zero delamination are required for EN ISO 22568-2 compliance. Achieving this repeatably across large production volumes requires both equipment precision and process discipline.

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Certified Quality

EN ISO 22568-2 requires third-party type examination plus ongoing factory surveillance. Building and maintaining the quality system for certified composite component production took years of investment and development.

Manufacturing Process

From Compound to
Certified Component

Fibre composite toecaps are manufactured by compression moulding — a technically demanding process that Isco has invested years in perfecting at the Diyarbakır facility.

01
Material Preparation

Glass fibre reinforcement is drawn from the roll and impregnated with our own resin formulation, then matured under controlled temperature until it reaches the right working state. Blanks are die-cut from the matured material and stacked — five to seven plies — to an exact charge weight. Consistency here directly affects final part density, dimensions and mechanical performance.

02
Mould Preparation

Matched hardened steel moulds are pre-heated to controlled temperature in the hydraulic compression press. Temperature uniformity across the mould surface is monitored continuously — uneven temperatures cause uneven cure and dimensional drift.

03
Compression Moulding

The stacked plies are placed in the mould and the press closes under hundreds of tonnes of pressure. Heat and pressure trigger the thermoset cure reaction, consolidating the layers into a single laminate that fills the mould cavity completely. Cure time is tightly controlled.

04
Inspection & Certification

Demoulded parts are trimmed, edge-finished and inspected dimensionally and visually. Impact and compression testing is performed in the on-site laboratory to EN ISO 22568-2. Full batch documentation accompanies every shipment.

Supply Chain Advantage

European Production —
A Compliance Advantage

For European safety shoe brands, sourcing composite toecaps from Asia has always carried risk: long lead times, exposure to shipping disruptions, difficult quality oversight, and now increasing regulatory pressure around supply chain traceability and due diligence.

Isco's Diyarbakır facility produces fibre composite toecaps within the European supply chain — enabling shorter lead times, easier quality audit access, REACH-compliant production documentation, and a supplier relationship you can visit and verify directly.

For brands facing increasing due diligence obligations under European supply chain legislation, this is not just a preference — it is becoming a compliance requirement.

Short lead times EU supply chain traceability REACH compliant Auditable facility No Asian sourcing risk
Precision toecap manufacturing — Isco Turkey facilities Precision toecap manufacturing — Isco Turkey facilities Precision toecap manufacturing — Isco Turkey facilities

The only option for European-made composite toecaps

Isco is the sole manufacturer of fibre composite toecaps on the European continent. There is no alternative European source — which means choosing Isco is the only way to keep this component within your European supply chain.

Beyond toecaps

The Same Presses,
Other Components

The capability we built here — compression moulding thermoset composite into small, highly loaded, certified components — is not specific to safety footwear. The presses, the matched metal tooling, the laboratory and the quality system all apply to any part that has to prove a mechanical, electrical or load-bearing performance.

We also manufacture custom composite components to customer specification: electrical insulation parts, covers and access panels, enclosures and impact protection.

Custom Composite Components →

What transfers to your part

  • Glass fibre reinforcement impregnated in-house with our own resin system
  • Temperature-controlled matched metal tooling
  • Impact and compression testing in our own laboratory
  • Third-party type examination and factory surveillance
  • No EU import duty from the customs union

Our primary factory

Istanbul —
Steel & Aluminium

Automated production lines with robotic technology. Salt bath hardening for dimensional stability. Steel toecaps, aluminium toecaps and steel midsoles in all sizes.

Discover Istanbul →

Want to learn more?

The Fibre Composite
Toecap in Detail

Benefits, industries, specifications and the full technical case for fibre composite toecaps — all on one dedicated page.

Fibre Composite Toecaps →

Request Samples or
Discuss Your Requirements

Contact the Isco team to receive fibre composite toecap samples, specifications or to discuss your production requirements.

Contact Us → Fibre Toecap Benefits