> The press releases :
20th UITIC Congress : Programme announced (April 18, 2018)
Call for Papers is a great success 20th UITIC Congress, Porto, 16th-18th May 2018 (January 22, 2018)
May 31, 2018
20th UITIC Congress: results beyond all expectations
The event held in Portugal enjoyed a high level of success, bringing together for one week more than 540 footwear professionals coming from 33 different countries, with more than 20 company visits and more than 30 guest speakers who discussed the future of the global footwear manufacturing industry.
“It was an incredible Congress”: is the opinion expressed by Yves Morin, President of UITIC – the International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians, on the 20th edition of the event held from 16 to 18 May in Porto, Portugal, which was dedicated to the theme ‘From fashion to factory – A new technological age’.
Characterising the event was in fact a record number of delegates – presenting speeches, presentations and talks with a high content level, and a complete programme of great interest that included visits to local companies. “Generally speaking, the Congress fully achieved its goal of acting as an international Think Tank for the footwear industry”, continued Mr. Morin.” Without a doubt, contributing to the excellent outcome of the event was also the choice of the Host Country, Portugal. As in fact remarked upon by Ana Teresa Lehmann, Secretary of State for the Portuguese industry, who was invited to the opening ceremony:
“Portugal holds a privileged position, because it is an innovative and exportoriented industry, with more than 95% of its production destined for foreign markets and more than 80 million pairs of footwear exported in 2017”.
The importance of choosing Portugal as the host country was also underlined by Yves Morin, who commented:
“When I suggested the theme of this 20thCongress – From fashion to factory: a new technological age – I believed that Portugal was the right place for discussing this issue, because this is one of the few countries worldwide where we can simultaneously find the entire production chain, with excellent know-how and an expert understanding of fashion and design”.
According to Ms. Lehmann, the Congress’s theme also highlighted the role of technology as a driving economic force, while outlining its impact on the global industry. At this level, the Portuguese footwear manufacturing industry represents a competitive model and one of the most important examples of how modernity and innovation from one end successfully merge with tradition from the other end.
Great satisfaction for the positive outcome of the event was also expressed by Luís Onofre, President of APICCAPS – the Portuguese Footwear Manufacturers’ Association, who confirmed how the 20th UITIC Congress exceeded all expectations. Onofre underlined the role played by the Portuguese Footwear Cluster Roadmap for the Digital Economy, which was recently presented by the Portuguese footwear manufacturing industry, and which calls for an investment of 50 million euros by 2020 in order to take advantage of the opportunities created by the Industry 4.0.
May 31, 2018- ARSUTORIA Magazine
July 28, 2017
PRESS RELEASE
SAVE THE DATE!
20th UITIC International
Technical Footwear Congress
APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear, Components, Leather Goods Manufacturers' Association, and CTCP, the Portuguese Footwear Technological Centre, will organize the 20th Congress of the UITIC (International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians) in Porto, Portugal.
Several visits of footwear factories and related industries are planned on the first day 16th May, before the Congress on 17th and 18th May, 2018.
A Scientific Committee is in charge of collecting contributions from around 50 speakers on main topic “From Fashion to Factory: A New Technological Age”.
This congress will bring together experts and decision makers who all play an important role in the worldwide footwear business, such as brands, retailers, footwear manufacturers.
Since 1972, UITIC Congress which is the most prestigious meeting of experts in the world, is acting as a biennial “Think Tank” for the footwear industry and is a very good opportunity for leaders to discover the latest innovations and at the same time to build strong relationships within this unique footwear industry network.
The last congress proceeded in February 2016 in Chennai (India) joined together more than 568 delegates from 28 countries to work on “Future Footwear Factory”.
ABOUT UITIC: The International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC), established in 1972, is an organization which aims at developing technical knowledge in the footwear industry, in particular by organizing international conferences on a regular basis and by taking the initiative in setting up information exchanges between its members coming from associations, research centers, private companies and footwear experts from 28 countries.
ABOUT APICCAPS: Portuguese Footwear, Components, Leather Goods Manufacturers’Association, is a nation-wide association based in Porto, founded in 1975 and representing the following business sectors: Footwear industry, Footwear components industry, Leather goods industry (bags, wallets, gloves, belts, etc.), Equipment for the above mentioned sectors.
