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FASHION AND LEATHER SECTOR: SIMAC TANNING TECH CONSOLIDATES ITS INTERNATIONAL ROLE THROUGH A HIGHLY SPECIALISED TRADE FAIR EXPERIENCE
FOCUSED ON BUYERS
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- From 15 to 17 September, the leading event for the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries returns to Fiera Milano Rho, featuring 290 exhibitors and brands, 30 per cent of which are international, from over 20 countries.
- The event, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the ICE Agency, places the visitor at the centre of the experience through the Buyer Journey and the VIP Programme. The international operator, selected in collaboration with the relevant offices of the ICE Agency’s overseas network, ensures the presence of qualified industry professionals and facilitates increasingly effective matches between technological supply and demand.
- Simac Tanning Tech confirms its role as an international platform for creating opportunities in strategic markets: following the initiative launched in 2025 with Kenya, the 2026 edition consolidates the African partnership with Robbiki Leather City and turns its attention to Latin America, focusing on 11 countries within the ACCAL network, thereby strengthening dialogue between production systems, businesses and technologies.
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Milan, 10 September 2026 – Simac Tanning Tech, the leading international trade fair for machinery, technologies and solutions for the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries, organised by Assomac, the Confindustria association representing Italian companies in the sector, reaffirms its role as a strategic hub for the competitiveness of the global fashion and leather sector, with its 52nd edition cementing the event’s status as a platform where expertise, innovation and industry relations converge, giving rise to new development opportunities for the entire production chain.
The event, held under the patronage of the European Parliament, will take place at Fiera Milano Rho from 15 to 17 September 2026, alongside Lineapelle – the global benchmark for ‘Made in Italy’ in the leather sector – and will host, across an area of 12,900 square metres, 290 exhibitors, brands and innovative organisations from the sector, 30% of whom are international, hailing from over 20 countries.
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The 2026 edition consolidates the evolution of the trade fair experience, centred on the visitor, through two key initiatives: the Buyer Journey and the VIP Programme.
The trade fair’s offering translates into greater effectiveness in investment decisions through the streamlined and intuitive organisation of the exhibition across the various specialisations of the production process, facilitating the comparison of needs with technological solutions.
More than 200 international guests, including 130 in official delegations from 26 countries, will be attending Simac Tanning Tech thanks to the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE). Through a careful process of qualifying international demand, the VIP Programme has been launched to combine the selection of new, high-potential operators with the involvement of loyal buyers and professionals.
In the first five months of 2026, the sector’s total exports fell by 9.78% compared with the same period in 2025, against a backdrop of varying trends across geographical areas and sectors. Europe has shown greater resilience, whilst Asia appears weaker; in the Americas, the picture remains mixed, whilst exports of tanning machinery to Africa are growing.
In an international landscape marked by erratic demand and shifting trade balances, the resilience of traditional markets is accompanied by a growing focus on geographical diversification and new opportunities for development.
Strategies for key markets will be explored in greater depth at the 2026 edition, with a particular focus on Latin America, the event’s international theme. Collaboration with ACCAL – the network bringing together associations and chambers representing the footwear sector in 11 countries across the region – and with IILA (the International Italo- |
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Latin American Organisation) brings to Milan the demands, technological needs and prospects for the development of the main Latin American production systems, including the Mercosur region. On the African front, Simac Tanning Tech continues the initiative launched in 2025, dedicating a space to Egypt and Robbiki Leather City, in collaboration with AICS Cairo and local partners. The project centres on the development of a more modern and competitive tanning supply chain, thanks to investment in infrastructure and technology, the strengthening of skills, and a growing focus on cluster organisation and the environmental sustainability of processes.
The presence in Milan of a large Egyptian delegation broadens dialogue with Italian technology manufacturers and strengthens the prospects for industrial cooperation, technology transfer and the development of new relationships between businesses and production systems in the two countries.
The move towards Latin American and African markets is reflected in the buyer audience, which includes operators from Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Mexico in Latin America, and Egypt, Ethiopia, Niger, South Africa, Tunisia and Morocco in Africa, alongside an Asian presence comprising India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. “This is a strategy built around the sector’s needs,” said Mauro Bergozza, President of Assomac, “which consolidates Simac Tanning Tech’s role as an industrial platform capable of bringing together technology, expertise and markets. “Our buyers are decision-makers tasked with evaluating investments that are crucial to the future of their businesses, and the trade fair experience is designed to facilitate purchasing decisions regarding the technological solutions best suited to creating value. The international dimension of Simac Tanning Tech plays a strategic role for the national economy, helping to strengthen industrial partnerships and growth pathways for companies in the sector.”
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Assomac
Assomac is the National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather Goods and Tanning Technology. Founded in 1982, it represents a global reference point for technology applied to these sectors, with over 130 member companies exporting to more than 130 countries. Assomac's mission is to promote and enhance the technological expertise of its member companies, providing customers worldwide with customised solutions, sustainable technology, all-round support, optimal control and management, and continuous innovation. Assomac is a dynamic organisation, which is committed to fostering the growth of its member companies through the promotion of Made in Italy, opening up to new markets and access to innovative technologies. It is also active in creating a modern business culture, disseminating knowledge and sectorial skills and activating supply chain synergies, with the aim of becoming an international reference ‘Technological Square’: a place of meeting and comparison for all operators in the sector. |
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