MILAN, Jan. 13 (Class Editori) -- The leather district in Florence estimates a recovery starting from the second half of 2021, by focusing on reshoring, training, sustainability, and digitalization. According to Confindustria Firenze's data, in the first nine months of 2020 the export of leather goods from the Florence district (the first in terms of foreign sales in the 2019's national fashion ranking if footwear is also considered) decreased by 34.3% compared to the same period in 2019, to more than 3 billion euros.
"After 2020, with esteems ranging between -20 and -35%, 2021 will still be very hard at least in the first half, since the industry will be totally recovering as soon as the health framework normalizes," Stefano Giacomelli, CEO of Tivoli Group and member of the Board of Directors of Confindustria Firenze's Fashion Department, explained to MFF. "The companies of the district are getting ready to face the change. The focus is on digitalization and sustainability, because distributing a high number of resources without focused projects would beunproductive".
Then Giacomelli, who is Assopellettieri's General Councilor as well, described the future of the cluster. "We have two challenges: the first consists in implementing the reshoring policies by trying to win the premium brand segment, which is now delocalized in the Asian countries. If just 10% of businesses returned to Italy it would already be a great result.
In order to do this, an economic support to cut the cost of labor is needed as well asa system quality appreciation abroad, since our businesses are too often affected by a stereotype that makes them seem too small and consequently not sound, late with deliveries and unable to work with foreign clients. On the contrary, Italian companies are flexible and offer products of higher quality.
The second big challenge concerns training, whereby it is necessary to gather sectoral schools in a major, more solid and more coordinated project. The entrepreneur concluded with an analysis on mergers between companies to fight against the crisis. "In the Florence district cannot find active mergers between businesses, while it seems that big players will continue to internationalize production processes. In general, I believe that since the area of Scandicci is quite full, the district will become more and more scattered, by expanding to other bordering areas. However, the district will still be the central core thanks to the availability of sourcing, of qualified personnel, andto the proximity to raw material suppliers".
(Source:Class Editori)
Notice: No person, organization and/or company shall disseminate or broadcast the above article on Xinhua Silk Road website without prior permission by Xinhua Silk Road.
A single purchase
