Tanning and footwear technology exhibition Simac Tanning Tech opened its doors in Milan on September 17, running until September 19. The 2024 edition of the event is the fiftieth in its history.

President of Assomac, Italy’s national representative body for footwear and leather machinery manufacturers, Maria Vittoria Brustia, said at the opening ceremony that the 317 exhibitors that had travelled to Milan to take part had shown great faith in the event.

She said Simac Tanning Tech was more than a trade fair and offered platform for transforming new ideas and technologies into opportunities for growth and development for the entire leather value chain.

Ms Brustia added that reaching the milestone of the event’s fiftieth edition was a tribute to the technology providers that make up the membership of Assomac, but also to research institutions and other partners.

The organisation’s director genera, Agostino Apolito, said machinery manufacturers were called to respond to “ever-more complex challenges”. He mentioned environmental transition, digitalisation and production process optimisation as examples of these challenges. “Assomac is determined to guide companies through this transition,” he said, “keeping innovation levels high while promoting solutions that can contribute to a more sustainable and competitive future.”