Assomac calls for a culture of change
The annual general meeting of Assomac, the national association of Italian manufacturers of footwear, leathergoods and tannery machines, took place in Vigevano at the end of June at the association’s headquarters.
In his speech, the chairman, Giulio Tandura, described 2007 as a relatively quiet year. He said the sector had coped with "the inevitable fall in exports" resulting in a figure of –1.49% compared to 2006. But he said there was still serious concern about the first half of 2008.
The chairman went on to analyse the national and international scenario of the leathergoods, footwear and tannery business, saying there was a malaise in the sector, especially in the west, which has made the economic situation difficult for Assomac members.
Even the signs from large producers such as India and Brazil are not particularly positive. Mr Tandura said China, with its output of more than 10 billion pairs of shoes a year, of which 6.5 billion go for export, was the country to watch.
He suggested that the cure for this situaion was to adapt rapidly to change and to capitalise on the new social and political situation in Italy.
Assomac has set up a number of work committees, covering machine innovation for footwear and leathergoods; machine innovation for tanning; machine safety; XML standards; a special China project; economy and finance; young people; trade fairs, promotion and image.
Mr Tandura closed by urging Assomac members to achieve greater creativity with the aim of safeguarding the heritage of technological and commercial expertise that Italian firms have spread all over the world and which the association does not want to lose. He said they must keep an open mind and be willing to work together to create synergies.
