Italian manufacturers of footwear machinery have expressed a keen interest in transferring technology to Pakistan and have set up an industry for this purpose.
The largest shoe expo in the world, Expo Riva Schuh, in Riva Del Garda, Italy, attended the eighth Pakistan Mega Leather Show (PMLS) for the first time and took part in various activities under the leadership of its chairman and CEO, Roberto Pellegrini.
In addition, the delegation met with potential exporters of shoes from Pakistan and paid visits to the factories of Pakistani shoemakers. Pakistani goods were described as genuine products for European markets by the Italian delegation.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Expo Riva Schuh and the Pakistan Footwear Manufacturer Association (PFMA) was also signed, and it provides Pakistani footwear manufacturers with a three-year special incentive package to enable them to attend the largest shoe expos in Italy and showcase their goods to European consumers.
They will make sure that the Pakistani footwear industry is known in Europe, particularly in Italy.
Zubair Motiwala, CEO of TDAP, gave the leather industry an assurance during the opening remarks that exporters would be encouraged to attend international expos. Additionally, he guaranteed the industry’s release of EDF for Pakistan’s leather sector’s research and development.
Italian manufacturers of footwear machinery have expressed a keen interest in transferring technology to Pakistan and have set up an industry for this purpose.
Additionally, Chinese manufacturers of footwear components invited their Pakistani counterparts to come to China to look into joint venture opportunities in this particular market.
These changes occurred during the eighth Pakistan Mega Leather Show (PMLS), which ended a few days ago at the Lahore Expo Center. Over 200 exhibitors participated in this year’s PMLS, which attracted a sizable number of attendees.
For technology transfers in Pakistan, the Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association (PFMA) proposed connecting the entire industry with Italian footwear machinery manufacturers. Both the Italian machinery industry and the Pakistani footwear industry will benefit from this.
The PFMA also provided information on the Special Economic Zones that have been established and are open to both foreign and domestic investors. The Italians expressed a strong interest in establishing their machine manufacturing industry there because the government is providing favorable incentives, such as tax holidays.
Additionally, the PFMA extended an invitation to Italian machine makers to continue working with the government in Pakistan should they decide to invest there.
The following PMLS will be held in 2024 from January 27–29. Additionally, two technical workshops for the sector with Italian sector experts were organized. The designers of nearly all top local brands participated in these workshops, which were led by Italian designers.
The information that the Italians taught the locals during the workshops was well received by the attendees. The small and large industrial players were heavily represented at an international seminar on footwear sustainability and survival that was held concurrently with the expo.