Florbela Silva from CTCP: how is Portugal modernising its footwear industry?

Launched as part of Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Programme, the FAIST project has set ambitious goals to modernise the country’s footwear industry. With a budget of 50 million euros and involving 45 co-promoters, FAIST aims to promote technological innovation, sustainability and international competitiveness in the sector.

By the end of 2025, the project is expected to deliver 34 new products, contributing to the long-term growth of Portugal’s footwear and leather industries. According to Florbela Silva, FAIST’s coordinator, the project is on track to create 300 new jobs in the next few months, 100 of which will be highly specialised (high level of education). “Expertise will be the new basis of recruitment, contributing to gender equality and equal opportunities”, she stated.

Objectives

The FAIST agenda addresses several strategic objectives “focusing on preparing the footwear sector for future challenges”. The project prioritises digital transformation and sustainability, with a focus on new product types and process automation. Objectives include broadening industry expertise, boosting supply capacity for small to large orders and improving working conditions. “Essentially, the project is about reindustrialisation and the adoption of high-productivity processes that enable companies to produce small, medium, and large orders at competitive prices”.

Tools

The name itself combines the concepts of an agile, intelligent, sustainable and technological factory (FAIST, in Portuguese). As a result, the project aims to promote innovation from various fields, such as artificial intelligence and hardware equipment, for current and future processes. “The new products are the result of advances in production technologies, coupled with applied research focused on sustainability and new functionalities that respond to market needs”.

Partnerships

More than 40 partners are part of the consortium, including footwear and leather goods companies, equipment and automation technology developers and software companies. FAIST also aims to integrate the know-how of the automotive and food industries, “using their expertise to combine their best practices with existing innovations in footwear”.

The coordinator stresses that the collaboration between companies and academic institutions is a key element of the project, as universities and research institutes support technical developments, “especially in areas where in-house company knowledge is limited or where technological readiness is still emerging”. This partnership is expected to bridge the gap between research and industrial application, encourage knowledge exchange and strengthen innovation capabilities.

Outcomes

“FAIST’s goals are not tied to specific order volumes but focus on integrating technology to allow greater flexibility. This will provide companies with various solutions to respond promptly and accurately to a wide range of customers, from small to large series”.  Overall, the project aims to optimise each production stage, allowing the sector to be more efficient in production.

Florbela sees Portugal as a distinctive player in the global footwear industry, emphasising the quality and comfort of Portuguese shoes. She believes the project “will enhance companies’ technological capabilities and human resources, equipping them with highly qualified personnel comparable to the best worldwide. This will strengthen Portugal’s ability to attract and retain new customers, establishing it as a production hub with high technological capacity and a uniquely fast response”.