Thanks to the presence of world producers of the best technologies for the manufacturing, automotive and fashion sectors, the international event intended to be a driving force for the recovery of the entire sector. The next dates of September 2022 have been confirmed.
The SIMAC TANNING TECH edition was correctly defined as a ‘proud’ edition, which ended on 24 September at Fiera Milano Rho. Proud to have marked the restart of the manufacturing sector of manufacturers and suppliers of technologies for the fashion – footwear, leather goods and tanning industry.
Exhibitors and visitors confirmed that the 2021 edition was “above expectations”. Thanks to the digital support system for the Fair, created through the dedicated APP, the number of accreditations was shortly below 5,000 users between physically attending and online buyers, of which 1/3 foreigners, from 50 countries.
The importance of the event was highlighted by the support of the Italian institutions, well aware of the central importance of restarting the driving force of the economy in such a complex historical moment. In fact, during the inauguration of the event, in addition to Maria Vittoria Brustia, president of the event and Assomac (the National Association of Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather goods and Tannery Technologies), also Manlio Di Stefano, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Guido Guidesi, Councilor for Economic Development of the Lombardy Region, and Carlo Maria Ferro, president of the ICE Agenzia took the floor.
The average of the participants’ opinions revealed how important it was to be present during the three days of the event and not to miss the SIMAC TANNING TECH appointment. The physically present visitors were all concretely interested in learning about the innovative solutions proposed and ask for more technical information about the latest technologies related to automation and digitisation, safety and environmental performance improvement. Maybe simple curious visitors were less than usual, but there were many more real opportunities to conclude business: “Given the difficult time, those who moved and travelled to come to the fair did so because they were really interested in concluding important deals to innovate the structure and processes of their own company, in view of the restart”, this is one of the most common comments among the stands. The 2021 edition of SIMAC TANNING TECH also benefitted from the results of the important investments made, in favour of both visitors and exhibitors, to develop the “Simac Tanning Tech 2021” APP. A tool, which is still active and usable today, aimed at facilitating business interactions between the players in the sector. The numbers recorded are good: more than 33,000 messages exchanged for information requests and contacts between buyers and exhibitors; a total of 28,000 pages viewed on the APP itself; 351 companies added in the ‘Favorites’ section; 11,800 searches by company name or keywords. The uncertainties and restrictions due to the health emergency have limited the usual presence of buyers from some countries (especially South-East Asia), but the event has not denied its international relevance, also thanks to the remote participation of Technology and Research Centres that took part in the Assomac TALKS. The leading exponents of ten international technology centers and innovation poles took part in three “Digital Round Tables”, bringing their contribution and demonstrating the need for a reference and sharing platform for the latest technological innovations, such as Simac Tanning. Tech.
ASSOMAC has also continued its commitment towards sustainability, increasing its “ASSOMAC Forest”: a project born in the 2020 edition of the event and which currently has 700 plants in a forest in Madagascar, through the project developed with Treedom.
The plants were donated to the partners of Assomac, an action to compensate for CO2 emissions in favour of the sector’s sustainability in which ASSOMAC operates.
The next international exhibitions of machinery and technologies for the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries are confirmed and will be held from 21 to 23 September 2022, again at Fiera Milano Rho.
