Workers are subjected to a very restrictive discipline of everyday behavior that transforms their individuality into a passive condition where labor power is the fundamental purpose of human existence. The body is used for production of goods in exchange of low-wages. Shoes are one of the main export goods made in Portugal. The footwear industry is mainly concentrated in small towns in the north such as Felgueiras, Santa Maria da Feira, Oliveira de Azeméis and São João da Madeira. With technological advances it quickly shifted from its artisanal mode of production and progressed into a sophisticated industrialized system. Through processes of globalization and automation, the value and importance of manual labor and assembly-line work declines.