World Footwear Voices: interview with Ricardo Guerra from CIATEC

Ricardo Guerra: Yes, thank you, Joana. Well, CIATEC is a Center of Research in Mexico. This is a center of public research of the National Council of Science and Technology. And we work with the shoe industry: with all the suppliers, all the leather suppliers and chemicals and other materials, obviously, with shoes. It was founded in 1976. So, we count on 47 years of existence. We are now a center working with the shoe industry, but also with the automotive manufacturing and environmental industries.

Ricardo Guerra: It is a big industry. We are based in León, Guanajuato. It is a city of major production of footwear as 60% to 70% of Mexican footwear production is in León. I think that with the pandemic condition, we went a little down in terms of the production of shoes. But at this moment, we are growing up and we want to be on the new edge with digital and environmental production and we want to comply with all the international sustainable objectives.

Ricardo Guerra: I think that the first problem is fashion because we have very good craftsman manufacturers. But in terms of design, ideas, and creativity, I think that is something that we need to do more efficiently. We have worked with a lot of industries and other countries like Portugal, France, and Italy, and we concluded that our first problem is fashion. So, we need to progress in that field and learn how to do things more efficiently and learn from the other players of the world how we can do more in terms of fashion.

Ricardo Guerra: It's the same thing in Mexico. That is also related to nearshoring. A lot of manufacturers are coming to Mexico, and they all need the workforce. And this is happening across all industries. Also, there is a phenomenon now in Mexico, with craftsmen and manufacturers moving from the shoe to the automotive industry. Why? Because they are more efficient in manufacturing and because they pay better.

Ricardo Guerra: Well, for me is the most important congress in the world. This is a technical congress and many people think that it is better to go to see the machines and other people and to do branding and marketing. But most important, to me, is knowledge and this is the congress for knowledge and technology and technicians, and technical learning in the footwear industry. So, I think that we need to attract more people who work in the shoe industry and say to them this is the congress they need to attend. I hope that in 2025 in Shanghai we are going to have a happy and successful congress and I hope that people attend it.

Ricardo Guerra: Yes. Yes, it was planned like this. And I think that this is the future. We need to think about digital transformation in a sustainable sense. So, environmental and economic circular economy is the future for all industries. I am sure that you listened to this morning’s first conference when it was said that we need to keep in mind that sustainability needs to come first and then profit of technology and all the new technological age.

World Footwear: Thank you, Ricardo, for this conversation. These were the latest news from the footwear industry in Mexico. Please follow the world footwear for more updates.