We are talking about a daily monitoring task whose aim is to evaluate the impact of Coronavirus on footwear industry. Brazil’s footwear industry association (Abicalçados) launched the project by rallying entrepreneurs, in order to limit, as much as possible, pandemic detrimental effects.
The meeting
In the last few days, the association called an emergency meeting, held in the Novo Hamburgo headquarters. During the meeting, they set guidelines for Brazil’s footwear manufacturing companies, which currently hire over 270,000 employees. As we said, one of the initiatives they are due to launch is about a daily monitoring survey: the members of the association will carry it out. “We are already facing some order cancellations alongside a few requests for postponement regarding deliveries and payments – remarked Haroldo Ferreira, executive president of Abicalçados –. We do need such survey to pinpoint and implement, together with the other associations representing the industry, the most effective measures to limit, as much as possible, the virus impact. The whole supply chain, from suppliers to manufacturers to retailers, is in difficulties”.
Supporting the business
The association has not only implemented some security measures, to ensure employees’ health, and a daily monitoring survey, but has also pinpointed a few requests they will submit before Brazil’s government to support the industry. Among others, they will ask for a postponement of tax, mortgage and loan payments, alongside the opening of a credit line for the companies’ flowing capital assets. On top of that, they will request for a few tax breaks on wages and additional measures to safeguard occupational levels.
