LEWISTON – Falcon Performance Footwear is giving traditional shoe-making the boot.

Gone are the pricey dies that have been used for the past 45 years to cut each piece of footwear. Instead, a new Gerber cutting machine will use computer technology to maximize the cuts for each pattern piece from a hide. The technology is expected to reduce leather waste by at least 10 percent and save Falcon $80,000 in the cost of new dies alone.

“That’s where the big savings are,” said Carl Spang, president of Falcon, who came on board last fall when the local footwear company was bought by Globe Fire Suits, a specialty manufacturer of firefighting and rescue gear in New Hampshire. Falcon hosted a party to unveil the new machine for local dignitaries Wednesday.

“We are investing in our community, and in our people,” said Spang.

Taking one 14-inch boot in hand, General Manager Roland Landry counted 26 separate pattern pieces that went into its construction. The boots are specially made to protect rescue and fire workers from electrical shock, blood-borne pathogens and other hazards in public safety work.

Once programmed, the Gerber will be able to make all 26 cuts needed for each pair, adjusting for size and width differences automatically. Landry said when he saw the machine demonstrated, all the waste leather from a pair of boots could fit into a plastic sandwich bag.

“This gives us tremendous flexibility,” said Spang. “We can change patterns on the fly. We’re not restricted to one style.”

Falcon expects to start two new lines of Globe boots, bringing the total to six styles manufactured in Lewiston.

The company also announced that it has stopped importing its specialty synthetic soles from China, and now gets them from a Massachusetts maker.

“Sourcing locally is a big thing for us,” said Spang, noting Falcon already gets its leather from Prime Tanning in Berwick. “We feel passionately about it.”

Although the Chinese soles were much cheaper, the total cost in lost time from delayed deliveries, fuel surcharges and international bureaucracies added to their overall price tag, he said.

“When you look at all the hidden costs, it actually was less than $1 per pair to source in Massachusetts rather than China,” said Spang.

Neil Hanley, a co-owner with Landry and Spang, said Falcon is a just-in-time manufacturer. Orders that arrive on Monday are shipped Friday.

“We make from 100 to 200 pairs a day,” said Hanley. “We can’t wait eight weeks for a delivery from China.”

Workers are being trained on the Gerber now and expect to have it fully operational within a week. Landry said none of the 70 Falcon workers will be displaced by the machine, and that its arrival signals prosperity for everyone.

“We’re now offering 401(k) plans, health benefits, EAP, training through AVCOG and monthly bonuses,” said Landry, commending the staff for reaching increased production standards since Globe arrived last September.

It’s good news for the company that once employed 500 at the height of Lewiston-Auburn’s shoemaking heyday. In 2004, its parent company, Iron Age Corp., announced it was moving all its production to work to Asia and put Falcon up for sale. When it was bought by British bootmaker Magnum in 2005, the number of employees had dwindled to 26.

Spang said with the new technology, Falcon is poised to double its sales revenue by year’s end, producing about 60,000 pairs of specialty boots. The increased production capability means the shoemaker will be looking for new industrial space. It occupies about 100,000 square feet on the fourth floor of the Continental Mill.

“We only need about a third of that, and being on the fourth floor in narrow space with multiple columns isn’t really suited for manufacturing,” said Spang. Hanley said it typically takes two days to unload a shipment of parts because everything has to be hauled up to the fourth floor via an old freight elevator.

But Spang said they are limiting their search for new space to Lewiston-Auburn to be near existing staff.

“Our work force is the asset,” he said.