Behind a shoe, a bag, an accessory or a piece of leather lies an increasingly complex technological infrastructure, including machinery, software, automation, artificial intelligence and data that affect product quality, consumption, productivity and companies ability to evolve their processes and production systems. Simac Tanning Tech, taking place from 15 to 17 September 2026 in Halls 14 and 18 at Fiera Milano Rho, provides a comprehensive overview of the sector and the strategic choices that footwear, leather goods and tanning companies can make to improve their processes.
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The 52nd edition will bring together more than 1,500 technological solutions presented by 290 exhibitors and brands from over 20 countries. These figures reflect the breadth of an offering that covers the entire production cycle, including design, cutting, stitching, assembly, tanning processes, chemicals and finishing, through to digital process control.
Visitors are at the heart of the event: an audience from more than 90 countries engaged in assessing production, product and process innovation, and resource use. The number of visitors under 30 is growing, with particular interest in the areas dedicated to sustainability and innovation, signalling increasing attention to solutions capable of supporting the transformation of production models.
To help visitors discover the main innovations, the Innovation Atlas will make its debut this year. Freely accessible through the catalogue, it has been designed to collect and present the latest developments showcased by exhibitors.
“The buyer attending Simac Tanning Tech is an industrial decision-maker, called upon to assess investments that affect a company’s competitiveness and the quality of the final product,”
– Agostino Apolito, CEO
The international event returns to Milan at a time when the city is also hosting Lineapelle, MICAM Milano, MIPEL, TheOneMilano and Milano Fashion & Jewels, the leading trade fairs dedicated to finished products, semi-finished products and fashion retail. Their simultaneous staging makes it possible to view the supply chain from 2 complementary perspectives: on the one hand, the market, design and product; on the other, the technologies and industrial processes that make production possible.
“Choosing a technology is not about selecting a single machine. Automation, digital integration, traceability, energy efficiency, data management and services associated with technology are driving companies towards increasingly connected, controllable and flexible production systems. Technology is becoming part of the very organisation of the factory, linking performance, quality and the ability to respond to market needs”
– Agostino Apolito, CEO
The collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) continues, which in 2026 will bring more than 120 international operators to Simac Tanning Tech through its incoming programme, with a specific focus on Latin America.
This relationship is further strengthened by the partnership with ACCAL, the Latin American group bringing together footwear and components industry associations and chambers from 13 countries, and with IILA – the Italo-Latin American International Organisation. The collaboration will also lead to a public event presenting market insights and business opportunities across the region.
Dialogue with Latin America starts from the needs of local production systems: supply chain organisation, levels of automation, digitalisation and production efficiency. The aim is to connect these needs with technologies, internationalisation tools and potential industrial partnerships, encouraging the development of long term cooperation initiatives.
On the African front, following last year’s focus on Kenya, the 52nd edition turns its attention to Egypt and the Robbiki Leather City project, with the participation of AICS Cairo and the Egyptian institutions involved in the development of the leather industrial district. The focus will be on the results achieved and future prospects through technical assistance, training, technology transfer and the strengthening of district services.
Over the 3 days of the event, Simac Tanning Tech once again confirms its role as a key vantage point for observing the main advances in technology, engineering and components that are driving the transformation of markets and production models: automation, AI and flexible services, integration between machines and data, greater efficiency in resource use, advances in quality and process control and the development of new skills.
It is an integrated international hub where technicians, buyers, brands and manufacturers come together and where a significant part of the competitiveness of manufacturing supply chains is shaped and it is from here that a shoe, an accessory or a piece of leather begins to take form before reaching the market.
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This is a sponsored press release provided by Simac Tanning Tech
