Assocmac chairman calls on members to “work in a system”
The recession that the Western world is currently experiencing has hit the Italian manufacturing industry hard and the sector needs to restructure in order to survive, the chairman of Assomac - the Italian Association of Manufacturers or Footwear, Tannery and Leathergoods – has said.
Speaking at the annual Ordinary Meeting on June 25, Giovanni Gaia said the recession, combined with the systematic advance of Far Eastern manufacturers, had last year caused the industry to register a fall of 21% in production and 20% in exports, and 2004 had so far shown no signs of improvement.
Assomac has adapted to the situation by engaging in “economic diplomacy”, particularly in the developing countries supplying tanning, footwear and leather goods. It had also started to focus on large countries such as
Giovanni Gaia announced the recession had also encouraged tanning-chemical companies to join the Assomac family as Associate members, and stated the restructuring of the sector is inevitable and those companies able to interpret the change will come out stronger. Gaia said: “The main objective is to defend and reassert technological leadership, and to achieve this, it is crucial that companies in the sector are able to “work in a system.”
