More than 70 shoe companies exhibit from Sunday in Milan

Para beyond the 32 shoe companies that from Sunday to Tuesday expose in Micam, Portugal will also be represented, from Tuesday to Thursday, with 31 companies at the fair of furs, materials, accessories and components Lineapelle and with eight more companies at the fair of machines and technologies for footwear, Moroccan and tanning technology Simac Tanning Tech, highlights the Portuguese Association of Industrials of the Footwear, Components, Articles of Skin and its Successiones (APICCAPS).

Second, the presence in Italy is part of the ten initiatives abroad that the Portuguese footwear sector will promote from September, in partnership with the Portuguese Investment and Foreign Trade Agency (AICEP) and with the support of the Compete 2030 program.

“ In just two months, almost 100 Portuguese companies will integrate actions in international markets, confirming the dynamism and the export ambition of the sector ", progresses the president of APICCAPS, Luís Onofre.

At a time when it is preparing to complete, by the end of the year, “the largest investment cycle in its history”, with more than 100 million euros applied in sustainability, digitization, artificial intelligence and new technologies, Portuguese footwear promises to take Milan all the “new generation” of materials, components, equipment and production processes developed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).

“ After three years of investment, research and development, it is time to present these innovations to international buyers and transform the knowledge created into new business opportunities,” says APICCAPS president.

Thus, the results of the BioShoes4All and FAIST projects will be highlighted in Lineapelle and Simac, two of the world's leading meeting points for footwear, components, tanneries, Moroccan, machinery and technology industries.

At Lineapelle, BioShoes4All will present itself as “the largest collaborative project ever developed by the Portuguese footwear industry in the areas of bioeconomics, sustainability and industrial innovation”, bringing together 69 partners and mobilizing an investment of around EUR 60 million.

Over the course of four years, this project has generated more than 200 scientific, technological and industrial results, including the developed solutions materials that incorporate agroindustrial waste, new leathers and aqueous-based finishes, recycled or recyclable components, rubbers with high incorporation of biological raw materials and processes to reduce the use of energy, water and chemicals.

“ Several of these solutions have already surpassed the laboratory phase and are ready for industrial application,” says APICCAPS, stressing that participation in Lineapelle “will allow them to be presented directly to brands, manufacturers, designers and international buyers, at a time when the sector seeks to transform the knowledge created by the project into commercializable products and a lasting competitive advantage.”.

“ The goal of the sector is clear: we want Portugal to be the great international reference in the development of sustainable solutions for the footwear industry”, says Luís Onofre.

“ We have companies, knowledge centers and highly qualified talent. The challenge is now to bring these solutions to the market and gain the confidence of the main international brands”, he adds.

At the Simac Tanning Tech fair will be highlighted the FAIST project – Agile, Intelligent, Sustainable and Technological Factory, which aimed to develop the “factory of the future”.

Led by Carité, the FAIST agenda represents an investment close to EUR 50 million and aims to strengthen the technological and productive capacity of the Portuguese 'cluster' of footwear.

The project involved the development of 34 new products, processes and services, among advanced equipment, automatic lines, digital systems and pilot units to test and validate new technologies.

According to APICCAPS, the solutions that the national industry will lead to Simac “seek to respond to some of the industry’s main challenges”: Produce small and customized series with greater efficiency, automate demanding operations, improve working conditions and reduce raw materials and energy consumption.

With the participation in Milan, Portugal thus strives to strengthen its image not only as a shoe producer, but also as a manufacturer of components and technologies of high added value, combining industrial knowledge, sustainability, productive flexibility and innovation capacity.