About SATRA
We are an independent testing and research organisation. We accredit laboratories, design, manufacture and install test equipment, and provide production efficiency solutions to customers around the world.
Authorised to test and certify to several global standards
Recognised expertise
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CPSC accredited as a third-party independent assessment laboratory for US chemical compliance
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EU Notified Body for assessment and certification for CE marking
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Extensive chemical analysis facilities for testing brands' RSLs and restricted substances in accordance with UK and European REACH
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UK Approved Body for PPE and floor coverings for UKCA marking
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UKAS accredited ISO 17025 laboratory
Our mission
The application of science
Our philosophy is that products can be safer, more durable and perform better through the application of research and innovation in collaboration with business.
We test products from a range of industries, including footwear, PPE, furniture, floor coverings and many more. Our vision is that wherever you are in the world, you will find products enhanced by SATRA technical expertise.
A brief history of SATRA
Established in 1919, SATRA became a leading centre of excellence in the footwear and leather industry. Over the last 100 years we have grown and evolved to maintain our position as global experts. Read more about our companies continued development and achievements.
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1918 John Blakeman, Principal of the Northampton College of Technology established the British Boot, Shoe & Allied Trades Research Association. The name was later abbreviated to the Shoe & Allied Trades Research association, or SATRA.
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1919 The new research association was officially incorporated on the 4th of March 1919 with John Blakeman as our chief executive. On the 26th of May the first 22 members were registered and a general meeting was held on the same day.
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1935 The first issue of our ‘Monthly Bulletin’ was published in 1935. It was originally a four-page black-and-white leaflet intended to keep members informed of the latest developments in footwear, leather and leathergoods.
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1936 During the 1930s, the association reported that important research into walking had commenced. This research was designed to monitor walking gait to assess ‘the distortion which the foot is endeavouring to impose upon the shoe’.
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1953 In May, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the top of Everest. The boots designed for the team’s final ascent by SATRA director Harry Bradley, set the style for many subsequent commercial production runs.
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1965 We installed our first computer system. In March 1965 we organised a ‘Computers in the footwear industry’ conference, that proved so popular it had to be moved to nearby Wicksteed Park to accommodate the larger audience.
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1969 We received the Queen’s Award to Industry for our development of the moist heat setting process. Almost 10 years of research resulted in a moist heat cycle which set the shape into footwear in minutes rather than hours or days.
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1988 We established an ‘advanced manufacturing technology centre’ to explore how the footwear industry could utilise automation and computerisation. Members benefited from our research into CAD/CAM and robotics in shoemaking.
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1995 We were involved in a number of key research projects during the mid-1990s that addressed environmental issues. These included the potential for recycling waste materials and reducing the use of solvents in footwear factories.
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1998 Following requests from members wanting special tuition for resourcing personnel, The SATRA Accredited Footwear Technologist (SAFT) programme was launched. It is now an internationally recognised and respected qualification.
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2004 We opened our first Dongguan office. In 2011, when customers in the region asked for a reliable local testing service, we established ‘SATRA Technology Services Ltd’ and officially opened new SATRA offices and laboratories in 2012.
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2005 Following extensive development, the first fully-functional ‘breathing foot’ was installed in our laboratory. Today, the STM 567 ‘Endofoot’ accurately determines the thermal performance and perspiration management of footwear.
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2018 Following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, SATRA Technology Europe was established as a second European Notified Body to ensure our customers’ type examination certificates would continue to be valid.
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2019 During our one hundredth anniversary, we opened a purpose-built laboratory services and test equipment design and manufacturing facility. Located close to our main headquarters in Kettering, the new building was aptly named ‘Century House’.
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2020 During the worldwide COVID 19 pandemic, we gave companies certifying PPE items for frontline workers access to accelerated testing and certification programs. Our experts were also helping companies bring new PPE items to market.
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2021 We gained UKCA accreditation in 2021. This, coupled with our existing UK and EU Notified Bodies, meant that we could provide UKCA and CE certification for a wide range of items for customers around the world.
An authority on footwear
We have become a leading technical authority for footwear and leather through performing pioneering research and testing for more than a century. Companies from these industries can gain exclusive access to test methods, accreditation, consultancy, research facilities and training by becoming SATRA members.
Joining SATRA gives your customers confidence
SATRA membership is designed for companies in many industries including footwear, leather, furniture and PPE.
We are recognised and respected in supply chains around the world. Being a member of SATRA is seen as a positive sign that your company is committed to developing the quality, safety and performance of its products and services.
Working at SATRA
A career at SATRA offers the opportunity to learn new things, to truly work as part of a team, and to enhance the consumer experience through applying our values to everything that we do.
