A group of Tamil Nadu footwear manufacturers could soon be picking up tips from the man who reportedly sells shoes to George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
On Monday, the Chennai shoe manufacturing cluster, represented by the Indian Shoe Federation, signed a cooperation agreement with its Italian counterpart Unioncamere Marche, as part of the “cluster twinning†initiative of the small and medium entrepreneurs development project being run by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.
“I’m ready to take people and teach them and share my experience,†says Milanese luxury shoemaker Silvano Lattanzi. He refuses to name specific clients, but claims that apart from Hollywood celebrities, four of the eight heads of state who make up the influential Group of Eight, wear his creations. He is also president of the Confindustria Fermo, the apex chamber whose members will be involved in training the Indian shoe makers under the agreement.
Chennai manufacturers were excited at the opportunity. “This is the biggest advantage a shoe company can have, to get know-how from the Italian manufacturers,†said P.R. Aqeel Ahmed, president of the ISF and managing director of the Florence Shoe Company. “The Italians are masters of the art. Everyone else are just duplicators,†said Rafeeque Ahmed, chairman of the Farida group.
Study tour
Twenty representatives from Chennai firms will head to Italy for a study tour by the end of the year. The Italians will then send their own experts to Chennai’s Central Footwear Training Institute to train the trainers. Apart from manpower training, the project will foster technology cooperation and joint ventures. The 12-month cooperation agreement will involve a 100,000 euro investment shared between UNIDO and the Italian cluster.
It’s not only about training. “If there is strong interest on the side of the Italian cluster, we can expect considerable private investment as well,†said UNIDO’s south Asia director Philippe Scholtes.
During a Sunday visit to the Mahindra World City, the 12-member Italian contingent engaged in serious business discussions, making back of the envelope calculations about the possibility of leasing space in the industrial park. “We think many companies will be interested in participating in this area in the future,†said Unioncamere Marche director Alberto Drudi.
“Some of the Italians are actually interested in relocating their manufacturing to India … This agreement is a platform for more, for investment,†said Bruno Valanzuolo, chief technical advisor for the UNIDO project.
The Italians were also scouting for sales opportunities in India. “I want to set up a boutique in Mumbai,†said Mr. Lattanzi, looking to add Bollywood celebrities and India’s business elite to his impressive client list.
