Simac defies the recession

The SIMAC 2006 application period ends with a satisfactory initial result. Despite the recession that has weighed heavily for three years on the western manufacturing industry and despite the huge difficulties encountered by the Mediterranean footwear and leather goods sector, SIMAC 'is holding on' and confirming its role as the leading footwear and leathergoods technology event. The international trade fair framework, as selected by the market, is rewarding events with the most content and SIMAC is certainly the one with the greatest draw. Like last year, SIMAC will occupy five pavilions in the Bologna exhibition area: 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. The net surface area touches on 14,000 square metres and there will be 312 exhibiting companies from, as well as Italy, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, South Korea, France, Germany, Iran, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, Syria, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Türkiye, Hungary and Venezuela - showing an internationalism that does the event proud. Comparison of these data with those of years past reveals a slight contraction; this indicates a responsible decision on the part of exhibitors, who have preferred to limit costs, maybe by reducing their exhibition space rather than forgoing a crucial presence that, for many years, successfully marked the pace of activity in the sector, although over the years its function as a 'rendez-vous has prevailed over commercial results. Clearly, in manufacturing terms, the way a product is engineered and manufactured has changed; economically speaking the competition has become stronger, eating away at competition margins; sales-wise, globalisation has polarised the markets, causing the loss of the middle fascia. The outcome is there for all to see: casual and mass production were born in the Far East; the West is left with the high-level product. As a result, technology has also been affected by the need to reposition itself within the reference sectors, something that is happening but not without difficulty. SIMAC, however, is not just an event for technology of excellence. SIMAC has been and continues to be a review of all machinery; a technological answer to every customer requirement. The offer of the trade fair will increasingly be a global supply for a global market. For the forthcoming event on19-22 April, ASSOMAC, the association of Italian technology manufacturers, and the Istituto del Commercio Estero (ICE) have invited a larger number of delegations of footwear and leathergoods operators than in past years. There are official delegations coming from China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iran, Egypt, Türkiye, Poland, Peru and Ecuador. A private delegation of operators from India, coordinated as usual by the ICE offices in Delhi and Bombay, will also visit the event. Remember that it is ASSOMAC's aim to plan a trade fair future that takes into account the needs to rationalise costs and favour the presentation of technological proposals in line with new production demands, providing customers with a global technological offer. In 2006, it is only holding SIMAC, with Tanning Tech postponed to 2007 and moving to April, in conjunction with SIMAC and as always sharing the exhibition space with Lineapelle.