Simac Tanning Tech recorded more than 8,800 visits from 15 to 17 September 2026 at the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition centre, an increase of 25% compared with the previous year. Around half of all visits came from abroad. International exhibitors, brands and innovative organisations from more than 20 countries accounted for 30% of participation. Including visitor flows from the concurrently held Lineapelle, Micam and Mipel trade fairs, the exhibition for machinery and technologies for the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries registered more than 11,500 visitors.
One of the key focuses of the 52nd edition was Latin America. Assomac, the Italian machinery association and organiser of the trade fair, and the Latin American footwear association ACCAL signed a three-year memorandum of understanding. ACCAL brings together industry associations from twelve countries. The agreement aims to foster closer industrial cooperation, technological exchange and stronger economic ties between Italy and the region.
There is particular demand for the modernisation of cutting systems through CNC, laser and automatic die-cutting machinery, as well as programmable sewing technologies. Other areas include CAD/CAM software, ERP and MES systems, traceability and production data collection. Latin America produced around 1.5 billion pairs of shoes in 2024, accounting for approximately 6% of global production. The region’s more than 30,000 factories employ over 600,000 people.
Plans include B2B meetings, trade and delegation visits, as well as investment-related initiatives. The first stop will be the ANPIC supplier trade fair in León, Mexico, in October. Further activities are planned in Colombia and Argentina.
Cooperation with Africa also continued. In 2026, the focus was on Egypt’s Robbiki Leather City project. A €6 million programme funded by Italian Development Cooperation is supporting infrastructure, training, technology transfer and technical consultancy. According to the organisers, around 90% of the technology used at the production facilities comes from Italy. Assomac and the Leather Technology Training Centre also agreed on joint training programmes and research into new tanning processes and sustainable chemicals. A dedicated footwear production area is planned for the second phase of the project.
“Internationalisation is an important growth driver for the technology sector and for the ability of our companies to establish themselves in increasingly diverse markets,” says Assomac President Mauro Bergozza. This year, 65 delegates from Latin America travelled to Milan with the support of the Italian Trade Agency ICE. In 2027, Simac Tanning Tech plans to continue its international activities with a particular focus on India.
