Latin American shoemakers join forces

Assintecal – the Brazilian Association of Companies of Components for Leather, Footwear and Manufactured Goods – and Colombia’s main leather and footwear industry body, Acicam, are to work together to boost footwear sector productivity in the two countries.

The agreement has led to an annual productivity improvement target of 10 per cent, along with a boost of the same percentage in the number of jobs created in small and medium-sized footwear companies. Assintecal and Acicam also intend to develop stronger links and communication between their footwear industries.

According to Acicam’s president, Luis Gustavo Flórez, the strengthening of relations between Brazil and Colombia would contribute to the growth of business in both countries. He expressed his hope that working more closely with Brazilian footwear companies would allow Colombia to build its own footwear identity.

Brazil’s shoemaking workforce is approximately 345,000 strong, mainly located in Rio Grande do Sul, Sao Paulo, Ceara, Bahoa, Minas Gerais and Paraiba. Some 22,000 people make shoes in Colombia, with Bogota, Medellin and Bucaramanga being key regions.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the September 2017 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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