The Italy-Vietnam Footwear Technology Centre was inaugurated at the Lefaso Centre in Binh Duong to promote research and development of leather-shoe products and train workers in the use of modern machinery. (Photo: VNA)
Binh Duong (VNA) - The ItalianTrade Agency, the National Association of Manufacturers of Footwear, LeatherGoods and Tanning Technologies, and the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and HandbagAssociation (LEFASO) have inaugurated the Italy-Vietnam Footwear TechnologyCentre at the Lefaso Centre in the southern province of Binh Duong’s Di An district.
With its experience in the leatherindustry, Italy will assist Vietnamese companies in improving product qualitythrough collaboration and the launch of the centre, which will enabletechnology transfer, consultancy and training of human resource.
The centre is equipped with modernmachinery and equipment imported directly from Italy and other Europeancountries, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises in the leather-footwearindustry to approach, research and develop new products.
The centre also joins hands with the Ho ChiMinh City Industry and Trade College to organise training programmes for staffin charge of production, design and product development at footwearenterprises, apprising them about leading global design and manufacturingtrends.
LEFASO vice chairman Diep Thanh Kiet said“The Vietnamese footwear industry has a wonderful chance to strengthen itstrade relations with Italy in particular and the European Union in general.
“Italy is the fashion centre of the world,and so expansion of trade between Vietnam and Italy in the field of footwear isvery necessary. Bilateral trade has developed quite well in recent years. In2016 Vietnam exported more than 380 million USD worth of leather-footwearproducts to Italy, or 8 percent of its total exports to the EU market.”
The idea of establishing the centre tookshape two years ago during a meeting of the Italy-Vietnam IntergovernmentalCommittee in Hanoi.-VNA
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The Italy-Vietnam Footwear Technology Centre was inaugurated at the Lefaso Centre in Binh Duong to promote research and development of leather-shoe products and train workers in the use of modern machinery. (Photo: VNA) 
