www.porto2018.uitic.org

FACTSHEET

DATE16th - 18th MAY 2018

CITY/COUNTRYPorto, Portugal

VENUESheraton Porto Hotel & Spa

PROGRAMMETO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

CONTACTS

APICCAPS / www.apiccaps.ptRua Alves Redol, 372, 4050-042 PortoPortugal

CTCP / www.ctcp.ptRua de Fundões, Devesa Velha,3700-121 S. João da MadeiraPortugal

HOTEL / www.sheratonporto.comRua Tenente Valadim, 146, 4100-476 PortoPortugal

www.porto2018.uitic.org

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SAVE THE DATE

The UITIC announced the dates for the 20th International Technical Footwear Congress, which will be held from the 16th to the 18th of May, 2018, in Porto (Portugal) at the Sheraton Hotel. The UITIC – International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians has entrusted the congress organisation to CTCP – Centro Tecnológico do Calçado de Portugal (Portugal’s Footwear Technological Centre) and APICCAPS – Portuguese Footwear, Components and Leather Goods Manufacturers Association.

The UITIC Congress will present the opportunity to visit some of world class footwear manufacturing companies and to debate the future of footwear businesses in all dimensions: design, fashion, materials, technologies, marketing, distribution, retailing, ethics and fair trade.

Established in 1972, UITIC is an organisation which aims at developing technical knowledge in the footwear industry, in particular by organising international conferences on a regular basis and by promoting information exchange between its members in the field of technology.

CTCP is a non-profit organization, established in 1986, to support the footwear industry in the fields of testing and quality control, technical assistance and consultancy, research and development of new materials, products, processes and equipment.

APICCAPS is the national association representing the footwear, leather goods, components and equipment of the whole cluster in Portugal.

Increase your knowledge on footwear business

Share new ideas with top businessmen, leaders and researchers

Participate in technical sessions

Meet and network

Visit some world class footwear manufacturing companies

More than 400 participants from all over the world are expected

30 presentations

25 exhibitions

20 product presentations

Visits to state of the art manufacturing companies

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN?

20th UITIC CONGRESS: FIRST ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL FOR PAPERS

UITIC is inviting interested experts and specialists to present papers on latest developments and applications in the footwear business. The congress is focusing on the following subjects: new materials and components; manufacturing machinery and equipment; moulds and tools for shoe production; new designs and product concepts; new business models; testing and quality control; remarkable experiences in footwear activities; past, present and future trends in globalization; retail and online sales.

SHOWCASE OF TECHNOLOGIES

A showcase will take place during the UITIC Congress.

The showcase is aimed at exhibiting new materials, prototypes, devices or technology demonstrators with a clear added-value for established or start-up companies in the footwear business.

A contest will take place during the congress and the best solution will be awarded a prize.

PORTUGUESE FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY

The Portuguese footwear industry continues to be highly focused on the international markets exporting more than 95% of its production.

In the last few decades, the Portuguese footwear industry has undergone rapid and intensive transformation. Footwear companies braced the challenge to modernize their facilities and production methods, also investing in the less tangible aspects that gave them that competitive edge. Nowadays, Portuguese companies are known worldwide not only for the quality of their footwear but also for the excellence of their service, the ability to deliver small series and always based on a quick response to the market needs and requirements.

The innovation process within the Portuguese footwear industry is a continuous one and its biggest challenge is to conciliate the tradition and know-how accumulated over generations with the most modern technology, flexibility, and top-level design. A challenge which has been at the same time one of its most distinctive features.

An industry with a total of 1.473 companies and employing 38.661 people, according to the latest numbers. Most of these businesses, making up the Portuguese footwear industry, are small and medium-sized companies, strongly geared towards exports. Thus, the competitiveness of the Portuguese footwear sector is strongly based on structures that distinguish themselves from their competitors because they are highly flexible, extremely well equipped from a technological point of view, and which pride themselves on providing a fast and efficient customer service.

In 2016, Portugal has exported 81 million pairs of shoes to 152 countries across the 5 continents, with a total value of 1.923 million euros. Last year was also the seventh consecutive year of growth in sales to the foreign markets. In this short period, the Portuguese footwear industry has presented an outstanding growth dynamic, increasing its exports revenue in roughly 50%.

INVESTMENT

APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear, Components and Leather Goods Manufacturers’ Association was responsible for launching the FOOTure 2020 programme. This Action Programme for the Footwear Industry encompasses more than 100 measures aiming to turn the Portuguese Footwear Industry into one of the most competitive and modern in the world by 2020.

The FOOTure programme defines internationalization, qualification of human resources, innovation and social responsibility as its four main objectives. In order to ensure such objectives are achieved an overall investment of 160 million euros is forecasted until 2020.

INTERNATIONALIZATION

Internationalization is fundamental for the Portuguese footwear industry, and as such APICCAPS promotes, each year, the presence of 180 companies at 60 professional trade shows all over the world, encompassing 15 distinct markets.

Photo: Carmo Amorim / Shoes: Paulo Brandão

Porto is one of Europe’s oldest tourist destinations. Its wealth of monumental and artistic heritage, Porto Wine, open-air leisure spaces and cultural life are just some of the reasons to visit the city.

At any time of the day, 365 days of the year, Porto has a special charm for anyone visiting the city for the first time, as it does for those coming back for a second visit, to discover a city that is simultaneously modern and authentic. In 1996, the historical centre of Porto was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The city unfolds along the river bank and the sea shore, to reveal charming views, inviting esplanades and all the pleasures of the outdoors, framed by its green spaces.

Setting out to discover Porto means bumping into surprise after surprise. Whilst maintaining its welcoming and conservative nature, the city is, at the same time, contemporary and creative. This can be seen in its streets, its architectures and its monuments, its museums, its leisure spaces, its esplanades and its shopping areas which run from the traditional to the modern and exclusive. Events enliven the annual cultural and sporting calendars, culminating in ‘São João’, the city’s very own Feast.

At night, Porto turns into a new and different city, with entertainment and leisure opportunities that cater to all tastes and excitement that bubbles up to fill the streets with energy and cheerfulness. There’s a wide offer of lodging ranges from well-known hotel chains, charming guesthouses, welcoming hostels and comfortable apartments.

Porto: A WORLD HERITAGE SITE AND THE EUROPEAN BEST DESTINATION 2017

As the main gateway to the North of Portugal and three other World Heritage Sites, Guimarães, Foz Côa and the Douro Valley, a whole world of experiences awaits the visitor. Each day can be quite unlike the day before – one day you might be in a World Heritage city centre, the next by the seaside or at a wine tasting trip up the Douro valley, or hiking through the National Park or exploring an important religious site, such as Fátima or Santiago de Compostela.

www.europeanbestdestinations.com/best-of-europe/european-best-destinations-2017

UITIC CONGRESSES

1972 – EVIAN, FranceNew materials, new processes.

1975 – ALICANTE, SpainDevelopment and technical prospects in the footwear industry.

1977 – MAYENCE, Germany Future prospects and development trends in the footwear industry in the European area. The use of computers in the footwear industry. Automation and flexibility.

1979 – BRISTOL, Great Britain Successful footwear manufacturing in developed countries.

1981 – BELGRADE, Yugoslavia Footwear production in the microelectronics age.

1983 – MILAN, Italy Automation of processes that enhance productivity and avoid handling times.

1985 – BUDAPEST, Hungary Advances in CAD/CAM systems.

1987 – ALICANTE, SpainThe footwear industry of the future.

1989 – NANTES, France“Just-in-time” or how to meet market needs reducing lead times.

1991 – MUNICH, Germany Successful footwear companies of tomorrow.

1993 – ATHENS, GreeceIndustrial organisation, new materials, quality management, training and automatisms.

1996 – PORTO, PortugalMaterials with better performance, new production and commercialisation tools, quality assurance systems and environmental management.

1999 – FERMO, ItalyEvolution of the shoe technology in the last 3 years and prospects for the near future.

2002 – BUDAPEST, HungaryTransnational production of footwear and its components as a result of the growing globalisation of the economy.

2005 – TUNIS, TunisiaChanges driven by footwear production globalisation and delocalisation.

2008 – ELCHE, SpainThe advantages of technology for footwear trading and production processes.

2010 – LEON, Guanajuato, MexicoPowerful ideas in the footwear market.

2013 – GUANGZHOU, Dongguan, ChinaSocial Responsibility: a challenge for the Footwear Industry.

2016 – CHENNAI, IndiaThe Future Footwear Factory

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During the 19th International Technical Footwear Congress of UITIC (International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians) held in Chennai, India, in February 2016, the members of the UITIC voted unanimously that its 20th Congress will take place in Portugal during the Spring 2018, with the support of CTCP and APICAPPS.

www.porto2018.uitic.org