IFCOMA

It's a long name - the Indian Footwear Components Manufacturers' Association - or IFCOMA for short.  It started in 1992 with just seven members: an important number because it is the minimum required before an association or trade organisation can deal with the government.     B D Bhaiya is the President of IFCOMA, which today has 185 members from all over India.  He has been in the business for some 40 years.  His company recently took over a well established footwear brand in the UK.  He explains that the first task facing the Association was to educate the Indian government about the components sector of the footwear industry and how it fitted in with the overall footwear manufacturing sector.   Also, it needed to educate Indian footwear manufacturers - mostly, but not exclusively, smaller manufacturers - about just how much and how extensive is the range, of what was already available domestically. Nowadays IFCOMA has been largely successful in its initial aim and is taking a more long term view of developing their industry. A key ingredient in this strategy is their wholehearted support of the new fair of Footwear Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (fMM&T) venture which, they are certain will expose the industry to overseas and local buyers and help members keep up with new international developments, fashion and technology.  Mr Bhaiya says they view this as a fair aimed primarily, at Indian shoe manufacturers, but also at overseas importers and wholesalers and suppliers to the (fast growing) domestic footwear market.   Mr Bhaiya points out too that the new exhibition is a commercial venture with the government not supporting the event in any way financially.  However, they are, he adds, offering assistance with database lists of possible buyers and visitors, etc.   The inaugural fMM&T runs May 8 - 10, 2009 in New Delhi, India.   For more details, please visit: http://www.aplfindia.com/ http://www.ifcoma.org/ If you wish to contribute to the APLF News, with your experiences in the industry, your observations, or general thoughts on the direction the industry is going, we would like to hear from you. Email: aplf-news@aplf.com How long has your company been attending APLF? If you wish to be involved in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of APLF, we would like to hear from you. Email: aplf-news@aplf.com. Subject Headline: APLF 25th Anniversary