A big year ahead for Cuba’s only shoe manufacturer
05/03/2015
In 2014, Combell produced more than 2.5 million pairs of shoes and boots in 24 factories in different Cuban towns and cities. Commentators in Cuba have described this total as “derisory” compared to the volume of footwear the island produced in previous years.
Combell’s production network used to consist of more than 70 factories, but a lack of raw material and ageing machinery has forced the closure of around 50 of them. In addition, many of its workers have left to set up independent shoe-making and shoe-repair businesses owing to a lack of work at Combell. The company now has just under 3,000 workers.
In August 2014, however, the government put in place a new funding programme for the footwear producer, allowing it to import leather and increase production. Assistant director of Combell, Odalys Collera, said in recent comments to media in Cuba: “Everything is different today. Since the end of last year, the investments we have been able to make have been bearing fruit. We have a stable working situation, we have raw material and no one is going to have to down tools. We used up leather we sourced in 2014 at the start of this year and leather we have ordered since the start of 2015 is beginning to reach us now. In addition, we will be able to source some leather from Cuba’s own tanneries.”
Combell plans to make 5.4 million pairs of boots and shoes in 2015, ranging from boots for the country’s security forces to ballet flats and school shoes for children. Ms Collera said she was confident Combell can meet this objective and work throughout the year with no interruptions to production because of lack of leather. She explained that importing leather is an essential part of this as Cuba’s remaining tanneries do not produce enough finished leather to satisfy Combell’s demand.
She said the company had no plans to export any of its footwear in 2015, but that this may change in 2016 and is certainly a direction Combell wants to go in.
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