Simac Tanning Tech: difficult times for Italian leather and fashion industries, but signs are positive
- Despite a 12.8% decline in exports in the first half of 2025, the Italian footwear, leather goods and tanning machinery industry confirms its leadership and propensity for innovation.
- Simac Tanning Tech confirms its status as a strategic business platform, with over 7,000 visitors, approximately 49% of international visitors, and 25% of exhibitors coming from abroad.
- The project to support Africa, promoted by Assomac at the fair, helped strengthen partnerships with many African countries with the aim of contributing to the development of the leather-footwear supply chain. First and foremost was the focus on Kenya, with the presence of government institutions and a large delegation of entrepreneurs.
Vigevano, 29 September 2025
Simac Tanning Tech, the leading event for technology and machinery in the footwear, leather goods and tanning industries, closed its 51st edition at Fiera Milano Rho on a positive note, proving itself to be the strategic platform of reference for the sector, capable of generating new connections and business opportunities at an international level. This is confirmed by the figures: over 7,000 visitors, approximately 49% of international visitors, and 25% of exhibitors from around 20 countries. These results were made possible thanks to the valuable support of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the close synergy with Lineapelle, which led to over 9,000 visitors passing between the two fairs, confirming the importance of Simac Tanning Tech on the global stage.
The highly specialised Italian industry in this sector has maintained a substantially stable number of companies and employees in recent years, demonstrating the solidity and continuity of this strategic supply chain for Italian manufacturing. The sector, which has 225 active companies and exports worth €385 million, is unique in Europe, having been created and developed thanks to close collaboration between machinery manufacturers and manufacturing companies. Starting in 2024, the Italian footwear, leather goods and tanning machinery industry will face a critical phase, confirmed by the first half of 2025, which saw a 12.8% decline in exports. This decline is part of an unstable global context, characterised by conflicts, geopolitical and commercial tensions, and a review of supply chain processes in the fashion sector.
“Our data shows a sector in decline, but the signals coming from the trade fair are partly reassuring, and we believe they are not just a flash in the pan," said Mauro Bergozza, President of Assomac. "The value of our industry's production, which has a total turnover of around €650 million and employs around 3,800 people, is the solid foundation on which our leadership can still rest. The figures from Simac Tanning Tech show that, in difficult times, companies and operators choose the fair to strengthen strategic relationships and present innovations for the future of the sector. Our event is not just a commercial space, but proof that Italian industry is resilient and capable of responding to challenges with concrete, innovative and sustainable solutions."
This edition of Simac Tanning Tech offered a rich programme of events and debates on the most topical issues: Artificial Intelligence, sustainability, traceability, and European innovation projects in the sector. The protagonist this year was the African continent, which is increasingly strategic in terms of demand for industrial goods and cooperation aimed at strengthening the main industrial supply chains. Assomac hosted in-depth meetings on the African continent at the fair, with a focus on Kenya, involving the main institutions of both countries. This was an important dialogue aimed at strengthening the partnership, with the goal of promoting the competitiveness of Italian-made products and contributing to the development of the leather and footwear supply chain in Africa.
The strategic agreement signed between Simac Tanning Tech and Lineapelle is also fully in line with this vision of promotion, collaboration and development. The synergy between the two trade fairs, which bring together technology and materials under one roof, aims to offer an integrated platform that reflects the value chain starting from the fashion industry: this is essential, especially in light of the international commercial situation. “In the context of a market that continues to remain in a highly critical condition, LINEAPELLE has demonstrated its ability and strength to position itself as an indispensable forum for identifying, discussing and developing all possible new inputs and production and commercial paradigms,” said Gianni Russo, President of LINEAPELLE.
With this spirit of innovation and synergy, the conclusion of Simac Tanning Tech marks the beginning of a new cycle of activity for Italian companies in the sector. The trade fair, with its role as a promoter of technology and relationships, has proven to be the catalyst needed to address the challenges of an ever-changing market, providing useful tools for recovery.