With an increasing number of mandatory regulations for occupational safety coming into force, in recent years, protective footwear has undergone an important phase of development not only in the European Union, which has always been a pioneer in this area, but also in the rest of the world. Over time, personal protective equipment has also been subject to an overall increase in quality, thanks to the implementation of innovative materials and technologies. Driven by the demands of the market, companies have also improved upon the comfort and style of safety footwear, while even transforming them into trendy items. Thus, important players in the sector, and especially in the segment of technical and athletic footwear, have decided to carve out an important share of this market for themselves, which today is certainly no longer a niche market.

The growth trend experienced by this kind of footwear has motivated suppliers of technology to develop innovative solutions that can be implemented in various phases of the productive process. Amilcare Baccini, Director of Assomac – the National Association of Manufacturers of Footwear, Leathergoods and Tanning Technologies, explains the direction being taken by this evolution.

“Safety footwear is perfectly suited to the model of the Industry 4.0 and the logic of integrated processes, and this naturally favours investments by companies in this direction, which have been adopted by the most important companies in the sector. When compared to classic footwear, which because of its greater fashion orientation requires a technology that is more elastic and higher performing, safety footwear instead has characteristics ideally suited to completely automated production”.

Who can access this kind of technology?

“In a nutshell, medium-sized to large companies that have the structure and capacity, as well as the specialised technological expertise that favours the implementation of these new systems. Instead, for small enterprises it is certainly more difficult to access these kinds of technologies”.

In what way do technical requirements in safety footwear affect the machines/plants for safety footwear production?

“Very little: the machines and technologies of the companies in our sector often arrive before the legislator does. We are one step ahead of legislative and market requirements”.

Where can leading sector companies be found?

“At Simac, it is possible to find Italian leaders in the sector, which with each new edition present the most innovative technologies applied to the segment of safety footwear”.