Taking up his role as the new President of the Chamber of the Footwear Industry of the State of Jalisco (CICEJ), José Isabel Arias Frías underlined that the agency will promote "high impact" projects to promote the development of micro, small and medium enterprises of the industry.

Amongst the actions that the CICEJ will promote, he has pointed out the integration of new technologies in the factories and the training of workers through the Center Leader in Innovation and Prototypes (CLIP), with the aim of developing avant-garde collections in design and fashion as well as the incorporation of the Internet of Things.

In this scenario, the shortage of qualified workers to contribute to the development of an industry technologically advanced and producing innovative footwear is one of the weaknesses that needs to be addressed int he short term.

Arias Frías has also announced the intention to work on a joint defense initiative to tackle imports of footwear, both legal and illegal. According to the new president of the CICEJ, 20 million pairs of shoes are imported illegally in Mexico annually. The National Chamber of the Footwear Industry and the Chamber of the Industry of the State of Guanajuato should join forces.

Official numbers indicate that in January 2017, the Jalisco footwear industry exported 3.7 million US dollars’ worth of footwear, while imports amounted to 20.2 million US dollars.