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ASSOMAC COMPLETES ITS SERIES OF LOCAL MEETINGS AIMED AT SUPPORTING COMPANIES IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX SCENARIO
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AS PART OF THE INITIATIVE – IN COLLABORATION WITH SACE, CREDEM EUROMOBILIARE AND STUDIO RUSSO DE ROSA – THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL REPORT ON THE ITALIAN TANNERY, FOOTWEAR AND LEATHER GOODS MACHINERY SECTOR WAS PRESENTED
THE ANALYSIS HIGHLIGHTS AN OVERALL SOLID INDUSTRY, EXPOSED TO STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM AND GROWING INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION, WHICH ARE IMPACTING ITS RESILIENCE
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Vigevano - Arzignano (Italy), May 14, 2026 – Following the stages held in Vigevano, Santa Croce sull’Arno and Civitanova Marche, the series of local meetings promoted by Assomac, the national association of Italian manufacturers of footwear, leather goods and tanning technologies, concluded today in Arzignano. Organized in collaboration with SACE, Credem Euromobiliare and Studio Russo De Rosa, the roadshow brought together member companies and financial partners for a direct discussion on the most pressing challenges facing the future of the sector — including business continuity, governance and extraordinary finance — with the aim of strengthening an industrial model that represents one of the driving forces of Made in Italy within an increasingly complex global context, while consolidating Italy’s role within global markets.
As part of the initiative, the Economic and Financial Report on the Italian Tannery, Footwear and Leather Goods Machinery Sector, prepared by the Assomac Research Center, was presented. The report provides an integrated analysis of the sector’s evolution from 1995 to 2024, with the objective of offering a comprehensive overview of industry trends, international competitive positioning and the economic and financial conditions of companies operating in the sector.
The analysis shows how the Made in Italy supply chain is increasingly exposed to globalization processes, production delocalization and growing competitive pressure.
Technologies, materials and final products are all part of a single ecosystem, sharing market dynamics and economic cycles that affect the entire sector across the board. In this framework, the close integration between technology and manufacturing represents a distinctive feature of the Italian model, enabling the maintenance of high quality standards and customization capabilities throughout the production chain.
This positioning has progressively evolved as a consequence of a structural transformation: production volumes have gradually declined in favor of increasingly higher quality, with a stronger concentration in high-value segments, particularly those linked to luxury and
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premium products.
Exports remain the main driver of this highly specialized sector with a strong international orientation, experiencing growth and contraction phases closely tied to the global economic cycle. At the same time, a shift in the composition of the sector’s offering has emerged, with increasing importance of tanning machinery and spare parts compared to footwear machinery. Out of the more than €290 million in total exports of technologies and machinery recorded in 2024, €119 million relate to tanning machinery, €53 million to traditional footwear machinery, €30 million to leather goods machinery, and €89 million to parts and components.
From an economic and financial perspective, the analysis of company financial statements portrays an industry that is overall solid in terms of assets and financially balanced. However, the sector is currently facing slower growth and intensified international competition, with repercussions also on company profitability.
Over the period analyzed in the Report, the rapid development of China has emerged in particular, with the country becoming the world’s leading exporter in 2024, overtaking Italy and creating an increasingly polarized global market between the two countries.
While Beijing has achieved a dominant position in the footwear machinery segment — thanks to price competitiveness and its ability to serve high-volume markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Bangladesh, which are linked to large-scale manufacturing production — Italy still maintains leadership in tanning machinery, leather goods machinery and spare parts.
The ability to maintain a leading role on the global stage will depend on combining financial solidity, innovation and strategic vision, proactively and synergistically addressing the ongoing transformations affecting production supply chains and reference markets.
To manage business continuity, generational transition and the evolution of competitive structures, it is also essential to adopt governance tools and organizational models capable of supporting corporate transformation processes, including wealth planning, family agreements and advanced corporate structures, combined with forms of industrial integration ranging from mergers to partnerships, knowledge sharing and the development of complementary offerings. At the same time, access to advanced financial instruments and export insurance solutions represents a key strategic lever to support internationalization and growth in foreign markets, while investments in innovation and development remain essential to strengthen competitiveness and seize new international opportunities.
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Mauro Bergozza, President of Assomac, stated: “Italian manufacturing represents an industrial and productive heritage that must be protected and strengthened over time, preserving an integrated supply chain model that is unique at an international level. To maintain this role, throughout our series of local meetings we highlighted how essential it is to adopt coherent, long-term strategies capable of supporting company competitiveness and the evolution of the production system in an increasingly challenging global scenario. In this journey, platforms such as Simac Tanning Tech are taking on an increasingly central role, not only as exhibition events, but also as places where innovation, industry and market converge, capable of bringing together the entire supply chain and enhancing Italian technological excellence”.
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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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