Technological Centers
The partners of Simac Tanning Tech
Technology centers are key organizations for the development of the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries in countries where there is significant manufacturing activity for the specific sectors. The activities of technology centers are diverse: application research, technology transfer, human resources training, chemical-physical analysis laboratories, consulting and business services to name a few.
In some countries, technology centers are closely linked to the associations of companies in the footwear and leather industries and were created to provide services to the industry or to carry out activities that would be difficult for individual companies to sustain economically. Some of these centers have established themselves also at an international level by opening branches in other countries and working together with local companies on different issues and in particular on topics such as corporate social responsibility, efficiency and quality of production processes, international certifications.
The objective of Simac Tanning Tech is to give visibility to the work of these centers, recognizing their fundamental role for the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries.
CIATEC
Centro de Innovación Aplicada en Tecnologías Competitivas
Mexico
CIATEC belonging to the Research Public Centers Network of the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), which contributes to the country´s technological, economic and social development by solving scientific-based problems in industries through projects in the areas of sustainability, occupational health and advanced manufacturing. Since 1976, CIATEC has been offering Training programs for the footwear and leather goods design and development; the tannery process, quality and productivity improvement. It has a graduate program of master and PhD in Science and Technology. CIATEC´s Labs include chemical-environmental analysis, metrology, mechanical tests and biomechanics.
CIMAC
Italian Footwear Materials Center
Italia
Assocalzaturifici (the Italian Footwear Manufacturers' Association) has always believed firmly in the importance of quality and safety standards. For this reason, it set up CIMAC in 1985, in the town of Vigevano: a testing and accreditation laboratory now renowned for its excellent quality and considered a real feather in the cap of our Association. A couple of years ago, CIMAC underwent a major rebranding operation and become CIMAC Test Behind Success. It is made up of two divisions: CIMAC Certifications and CIMAC Laboratories. The former provides PPE Certification for protective footwear and gloves, as well as for PPE used in sport, while the latter deals with all the activities carried out at the Laboratories and is concerned mainly with the following areas: medical devices, the entire fashion industry, consumer goods, sports & outdoor activities, and raw materials. As regards sustainability, Assocalzaturifici has created the EU trade-mark: VCS – Verified & Certified Steps. CIMAC will verify the ability of companies to reach and obtain a certain standard of quality, helping them to gain accreditation and position their business successfully on national and foreign markets.
CLIA
China Leather Industrial Association
China
Founded in 1988, with more than 1200 members, China Leather Industrial Association (CLIA) is a national trans-regional and cross-sectoral organization related to leather,footwear,leather garments,leather goods,fur and fur products, leather chemicals, leather machinery,leather hardware and other relative sectors.The members of CLIA consists of enterprises, universities, scientific research institutes,trading agencies and individuals. As a bridge connecting the government and its member enterprises, CLIA objective is to:implement national policies and regulations; complete work entrusted by the government;reflect enterprise requests and intentions, and promote a healthy and stable development of the whole industry.
CTC
Professional Committee for Economic Development
France
CTC, in its capacity as Professional Committee for Economic Development, supports the French leather industry and its 850 member companies (leather, footwear, leather goods, gloves) in their technical and economic development. CTC, in its capacity as an industrial technical centre, conducts collective R&D projects, participates actively in standardization committees concerning leather trades and provides training and consultancy services based on CTC’s know-how. Finally, thanks to its analytical and testing laboratories located in France and Asia, and its certification office for products sold on the European Union markets, CTC is the key provider of quality control (audit, inspections, physical tests, chemical analyses and CE marking certification). CTC, the R&D teams work on the structuring changes that will maintain the competitiveness and excellence of our businesses. The themes addressed relate to three major axes: The industry of the future with projects around automation/robotics of processes, the improvement of working conditions, the set-up of innovative tests based on the real use of products, uses that are defined scientifically in our biomechanical living-lab installed in our premises in Lyon. The digital transition of our industry through the integration of IT tools to generate, structure and exchange data in an agile and reliable way to meet performance and CSR challenges involving our industries. The ecological and energy transition that integrates sustainable development, clean technologies and recyclability.
CTCP
Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal
Portogallo
The Footwear Technology Center of Portugal (CTCP) is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1986 with the incorporation of a footwear quality control laboratory.CTCP's headquarters is located near Porto, in São João da Madeira, which is one of the largest industrial locations devoted to the footwear sector. CTCP aims to support all companies in the footwear cluster, which is represented by more than 1,500 footwear industry SMEs, about 100 component SMEs and 307 leather goods SMEs. The most relevant activities of CTCP are: Quality control, consulting, training, marketing and promotion, research and development, health and safety, environment, business intelligence, and design and prototyping support (FabLab).
GCELT
Government College od Engineering and Leather Technology
India
GCELT, a century old premier institute of leather technology in India providing BTech degree of Leather Technology from University of Calcutta established in 1919. Introduced IT and CSE in new millennium with affiliation to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology. Series of research papers on East Kolkata Wetland, RAMSAR SITE 1208 have been published in last fifteen years. More than 30 research papers in peer-reviewed journals were published in last 5 years on Leather Science, Collagen as well as Polymer Science. In last two years, two patents granted: Bio-preservation of MITHUN Hides and Fish Leather Patent from National Bio-diversity Board. GCELT received excellent support and assistance from ASSOMAC and PISIE in the form of two modern laboratories funded by the Govt. of Italy to serve industry for Testing and Analysis set up 11 years ago. Equipment and instruments are all in running condition till date to serve the industry. We are proud of our majestic collaboration with Italian Leather Industry through ASSOMAC and PISIE.
ICEC
Quality Certification Institute
Italy
ICEC is the Quality Certification Institute which operates only for the leather sector; it’s based in Italy (Milan). It has been operating within Europe and around the world since 1994, offering services for the certification of sustainability in the tannery and leather goods sectors. Its clients are: tanneries, brands, manufacturers, providers of raw materials and outsourcers. ICEC SERVICES INCLUDE: voluntary certifications, training, standardization, promotion of leathers and certified companies. ICEC is accredited by ACCREDIA (the Italian national body of Accreditation) to issue certifications of quality, environment, occupational health and safety, products and made in. In a marketplace in which quality and sustainability are of ever-increasing importance, certification, although voluntary, must necessarily be done in a professional, credible manner. Thanks to ICEC, the Italian and International leather industry has become a leader in certification.
INESCOP
Footwear Technology Centre
Spain
INESCOP is a centre for technology and innovation. Established in 1971, it currently has the legal status of a non-profit, private association of companies. It has broad experience in providing technology services, transferring knowledge and carrying out research on technical topics that are of interest to the industry. INESCOP has the required means to meet scientific and technical needs of companies in the following fields: quality & comfort, healthcare technologies, Industry 4.0, advanced manufacturing, collaborative robotics, 3D design and printing, circular economy, sustainable materials, adhesives, biotechnology, nanotechnology, microencapsulation and competitive intelligence.
IPFTC
Italy-Pakistan Footwear Technology Centre
Pakistan
The multiple activities of cooperation between the National Association of Italian Manufacturers of Footwear, Leather goods and Tanning Technologies ASSOMAC and Pakistan’s association of leather goods, footwear, gloves manufacturers, including PFMA (Pakistan Footwear Manufacturing Association) in Lahore, such as the participation to fairs, workshops and visits to the factories, brought to the decision of maintaining a reciprocal flow of technical information, technological updates of machinery and accessories of interest for the production of footwear in Italy, in Pakistan and in the international market. This concept of reciprocity materialised thanks to contribution of Italian government through ITA Agency, with the creation of a Footwear Technology Centre, which operational implementation was entrusted to P.I.S.I.E. IPFTC was born with the objective of carrying out a technological transfer from Italy to Pakistan, of machinery and relative know-how, with the vision of promoting marketing focused activities of Italian manufacturing companies.
LEFASO
Technology Center
Vietnam
The Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) was established in 1990. The Association is a non-governmental organization representing nearly 2,000 Vietnamese enterprises of manufacturing, trading and import-export of footwear and handbags products, attracting more than 1.5 million direct and indirect workers. In recent years, the leather and footwear industry ranks 4th among Vietnam’s top export sectors, with high export turnover, bringing Vietnam to the position of the world’s 2nd footwear exporter. In 2016, LEFASO established the Vietnam-Italy Technology Center and in 2020 established the LEFASO Institute of Innovation and Technology – former the Footwear Research and Development Center. The Center and Institute have been playing a great role in product development, researching for new models, technologies, improving production lines and worker’s skills, thus improving the competitiveness of enterprises, as well as the whole leather and footwear industry
SATRA
Technology Center
UK
SATRA is an independent research and testing organisation established in the UK in 1919 and is considered a leading global technical authority for footwear and leather. It has technical facilities in Europe and China serving customers throughout the world. As well as testing products and components to international standards, SATRA develops, manufactures and sells test equipment. It also has its own chemicals analysis laboratory for testing restricted substances. Footwear and leather companies become members of SATRA to gain exclusive access to SATRA test methods, laboratory accreditation, consultancy, research facilities, technical training and factory production efficiency systems.
