The September editions of the Milan leather exhibitions, Lineapelle for finished leather and Simac-Tanning Tech for tanning and footwear machinery, closed their doors on September 19.

Confidence was low among many in the industry going into the events owing to poor consumer confidence, geopolitical concerns and uncertainty regarding regulations.

In light of this, some exhibitor companies said the discussions they had been able to have with customers in the course of the three days over which the fairs ran had been more positive than they had feared.

Some commentators insisted that Tanning Tech exhibitors with new ideas on display fared better than companies seeking replacement sales of established machines. They suggested that, with production volumes down at many tanneries at the moment, leather manufacturers were happy to make do for now with what they have in place rather than reinvest in legacy technology.

There were also important seminar events covering the environmental impact of leather, the imminent European Deforestation Regulation and other topics.

Assomac, the organiser of Simac Tanning Tech celebrated reaching the milestone of the fiftieth edition of the exhibition with a gala dinner on September 18.