A successful footwear technology conference was held in June in Teheran, at the end of a technological check-up on ten footwear companies. It saw the participation of approximately 150 representatives from as many Iranian companies. The initiative was organised by ICE and ASSOMAC in collaboration with the Iranian Ministry of Industry and Mines and ASSOMES, the local footwear association. The conference formed part of initiatives aimed at promoting Italian footwear, leathergoods and tanning technology.

For more than two years now, ASSOMAC has been coordinating a collaboration project in Iran, created within the scope of the ‘Italian-Iranian Leather-Footwear Joint Work Group’ which emerged two years ago under the aegis of the Mixed Commission set up by the governments of the two countries. The chairman on the Italian side is Pietro Torielli and Mario Pucci coordinates.

The Work Group organised numerous initiatives including: two general Work Group meetings (the first in Italy in 2003, the second in Iran in 2004); the presence since the autumn of 2002 of delegations of Iranian footwear and tanning operators at the SIMAC and Tanning Tech fairs; a training course in Italy for Iranian footwear factory directors; a check-up on ten tanning companies and a tanning technology conference in Teheran; competitive company strategy training courses (Mae-Pisie) in Italy for 40 Iranian tanning and footwear company executives.

In the leather-footwear exchanges between Italy and Iran, the latter supplies Italy with mainly pickled or crust hides; Italy supplies mainly injection machinery for footwear, tanning machinery, moulds, polyurethane etc and chemical products.