The industry leads the way to renewal. And, necessarily so, they do it while going through one of the most complicated years ever. Yesterday Assomac (the association of manufacturers of technologies for the leather industry) held (remotely, of course) their Annual Assembly. It was an opportunity to take stock of the overall situation and, most of all, highlight changes underway. First and foremost, the one regarding the newly appointed president. In fact, after 5 years in office, Gabriella Marchioni Bocca (Lamebo) is being replaced by Maria Vittoria Brustia (in the picture, right).
Maria Vittoria Brustia appointed as president
Maria Vittoria Brustia is the new president of ASSOMAC. “I would like to say thanks to my predecessor – said the owner of Brustia Alfameccanica, headquartered in Vigevano –, also for supporting and simplifying the handover to lead the Association. We are going to face, in the years to come, some important challenges. We must strive hard to provide our members with a larger set of services and a broader network of connections not to lose ground on the markets where we have been playing a prominent role”.
Focus on the overall scenario
Such words lead to spotlight the overall scenario, which looks inevitably gloomy. In fact, Assomac emphasized that “Italy’s machinery industry for leather, footwear and leather goods has reached, in terms of manufacturing value, 620 million euros; as for export, its value amounts to 70% of production”. Yet, this analysis is based on data and figures about 2019.
Over the year, “we observed the closing stage of an expanding economic cycle: the present pandemic crisis has been acting as the catalyst for dealing with the problems currently affecting the economic system worldwide – pointed out outgoing president Gabriella Marchioni Bocca –. All economic data about our industry in the first half-year period of 2020 are negative.
They are negative for everyone on a global scale though, starting with the Chinese giant, whose business loss is astounding as machinery exports heavily decreased by -53%, while imports dropped by -35%. In Italy we managed to hold on to some extent: machinery exports have gone down by -35%, while downturn in machinery imports reached -25%”.
A new identity
Covid-19 outbreak alongside lockdown restrictions have urged Assomac and their reference industry to deal with a changing scenario. For instance, through the implementation of the “ReStart Project. During the first lockdown period, they set guidelines for a new identity, which is firmly anchored to its past and tradition. Yet, at the same time, it also looks ahead to the future by reason of a common and innovative point of view focused on the market, which is changing”.
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