The nineteenth UITIC Congress got under way in Chennai on February 4, with ‘the footwear factory of the future’ as the event’s main theme. In his opening address, president of UITIC (the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians), Yves Morin of CTC, said it’s clear to him that the global footwear industry still has “a very promising future”. He pointed out that global production reached 24 billion pairs in 2014, representing growth of 8% year on year. In the context of a world population of 7.3 billion people, this works out at an average onsumption of 3.3 pairs per person per year. Mr Morin then invited the delegates to imagine if this average of 3.3 pairs moves closer to the US average of 7.7 pairs per person. “The population will continue to grow,” he said, “and we are going to have to grow global production. Changes are coming that will modify the entire supply chain, but we still have a promising future.” He warned, though, that it will be essential for footwear manufacturers to “think big” if they want to attract skilled workers in modern footwear factories. The UITIC Congress was co-organised by Lyon-based research and testing organisation CTC and by India’s Council for Leather Exports (CLE). Image shows CLE leaders with Yves Morin (centre) at the opening ceremony for the congress.
