A joint United Nations Industrial Development Organisation /SFD project was designed and launched, funded by the SFD and by a special purpose Swiss contribution through Unido. The project started its field operations in 1999 and was officially inaugurated in December 2000.
The project has several components including help in designing new tannery lay outs for the relocation of tanneries from old Cairo to Badr city, aid in designing suitable waste management systems and plants for the tanneries, assistance with product development and marketing of footwear and leathergoods as well as development of appropriate locally manufactured small machinery and tools for the micro enterprises.
The project is well on the way and the recommendations of the Unido leather and environmental experts are available and being translated into Arabic. The project has created the Footwear and Leather Industry Service Centre (FLISC).
This small centre is equipped with CAD footwear equipment from Italy and three young designers have been trained in Ars Sutoria, Italy, in footwear design. Leathergoods design software is being ordered and the training of designers in this field is scheduled to start shortly.
Although FLISC’s main purpose is to assist the micro and small scale shoe manufacturing industry, the doors are open to all Egyptian shoe and leathergoods producers who wish to receive assistance from the centre.
One of the first marketing efforts by FLISC was to participate with six Egyptian companies in the Italian Riva del Garda 55 show in January 2001. The results were encouraging and the Unido/Flisc team will also exhibit Egyptian footwear and leathergoods in the Riva 56 fair in June 2001.
There are good possibilities for building up partnerships of various kinds with the Egyptian leather, footwear and leather products industry since Egypt is now a member of the World Trade Organisation. The geographic location of the country on the other side of the Mediterranean provides fast supply and delivery routes to the EU market.
The basic raw materials, especially bovine raw hides, hair sheep, goat and buffalo calf have very good inherent quality and grain characteristics. There is abundant labour that is easily trained in the existing training facilities.
The Ministry of Industry and the Egyptian Chamber of Leather and Footwear Industry are making serious long term efforts to boost the industry infrastructure through various activities, including the establishment of a leather and shoe industry technology centre. This new technology centre is expected to be working together with the existing shoe industry training centre and in co-operation with Flisc.
The leather industry is one of the oldest industries in Egypt. There are more than 300 tanneries, over 500 shoe, leathergoods and leather garment factories in addition to 5,000 plus small scale production units employing more than 250,000 workers.
Any further information can be received from flisc@sedo and/or the Chamber of Leather Industry at leather@starnet.com.eg or [http://www.leather-egy.com].
