INESC Porto presents innovative project

Rui Diogo mentioned that the CEC-made-shoe project was launched and managed by the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry and financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the sixth Research and Development Framework Programme.

The project has been developed for four years and it has enabled the development of new product concepts, more comfortable and environment friendly materials, more versatile and efficient manufacturing systems and processes, new business models and supply chain management models.

Besides Kyaia, Aerosoles and the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto, the project had five more Portuguese partners: Procalçado, Centro Tecnológico do Calçado (Footwear Technological Centre), Companhia de Equipamentos Industriais (CIE) and Lirel - Lima & Resende.

The application of the innovations by Kyaia was presented today in one of the company’s factories located in Paredes de Coura, after a similar presentation at Aerosoles. Rui Diogo Rebelo mentioned that “one of the reference projects applied at Kyaia was the ‘One Step Production Process’. The project’s aim is to produce in smaller amounts with a larger flexibility and shorter response times”.

Fortunato Frederico, president of Kyaia, told Lusa that the “One Step” project started being applied “about three or four months ago” allowing the company to adapt its production to smaller orders, namely of brand models that incorporate fashion.

“The Portuguese footwear industry has always developed on large orders, but it has managed to evolve. Our equipment was inadequate because they had been developed for mass production”, he stated.

“Today, it is possible for a line to produce four or five models at the same time” Fortunato Frederico highlighted, stating that the response should be fast and personalised for clients in countries with “large purchasing power”, such as the United States, Japan, or some European countries.

Fortunato Frederico stated that in 2007 Kyaia registered a 26 million Euro turnover, with exports being responsible for 95 per cent of that amount. Through the brand Fly London, the European, North-American and Asian markets are ones with the highest import rate.

“Our profits have been increasing 20 per cent every year”, he added, mentioning that, currently, the company employs 110 people in the factory in Guimarães, established 24 years ago, and 200 in the three units located in Paredes de Coura.

Besides manufacturing, Kyaia also retails through the chain of the 70 Foreva footwear stores, acquired three years ago, where “70 per cent of the supply is guaranteed by small Portuguese manufacturers”.

The innovations developed within the CEC-made-shoe, managed in Portugal by the Agência de Inovação and co-financed by the Prime programme, were also applied at Aerosoles, one of the most famous shoed brands internationally.

Rui Diogo Rebelo stated that “At Aerosoles, we have presented PICShoe, a process management project for the supply chain that connects the whole network of the manufacturing and product sale intervening parties”.

Lusa, 21 July 2008

25th July 2008