OrthoLite’s increased commitment to Europe continues the company’s unique global vertical integration strategy and investment in its owned and managed facilities, exercising almost total control over its supply chain and production.

As of 2021, OrthoLite has in fact quadrupled its footwear production capacity in the European Union through its plant in Almansa, Spain. The OEU plant offers increased production capacity, as well as craftsmanship and specialisation in leather solutions (Almansa is known as the Spanish footwear capital, with over 400 years of history).

There has also been a strong investment in the Almansa team, which has been able to capitalise on local talent and technical expertise in leather processing, while taking advantage of the plant’s proximity to other European countries that also specialise in leather processing.

OrthoLite Europe is also particularly important for the speed at which products are marketed, allowing delivery anywhere in Europe within two to four days.

The OEU factory primarily serves ‘Made in EU production’ for fashion, luxury, apparel, work, outdoor, trail, hiking, casual comfort and athletic footwear brands with high-quality leather and other technical insoles.

“Our commitment to invest in our global manufacturing footprint brings agility and reliability for OrthoLite’s brand partners and our T1 factory partners,” said Richard Bevan, VP of Global Operations for OrthoLite. “Our factory in Spain is a crucial European hub for our EU-based partners. Our production demand continues to grow and  we continue to build excellence in capacity, customer service, advancing technologies, and unmatched responsiveness as a strategic supply partner.”

OrthoLite brand partners can therefore expect the highest levels of service and quality, supported by the company’s continued commitment to investing in European production. A range of new technologies will support brand customisation and enhance production capacity in the EU to meet the growing demand for footwear with more technical designs and higher quality materials.

Mec Europa continues its path of growth by opening a new facility and increasing the number of assembly lines for the production of high-end shoes for the world’s most prestigious fashion brands to 7. The new production unit is located close to the company’s headquarters and the other three factories in Verolanuova (BS), and houses the in-house hemming and cutting department. At the same time, the head office is enriched by two additional handlooms that will be added to the five already operating in the different units. The operation carried out by Mec Europa is part of a broader development project that has seen the company invest the sum of two million euros over the last two years, with the aim of completely internalising all the processing phases of the supply chain in its own facilities and with employees, without having to resort to the work of external subcontractors. A significant commitment, which has led the company to integrate new resources by hiring 155 people from 2022 to date, bringing the total today to over 300 employees. Also part of the expansion path is the acquisition, in March 2023, of the Marches-based tomaificio RM, which in the space of a year has seen a significant growth in size, going from 22 employees to 56. ‘This is a very ambitious plan that will allow us to continue to grow, guaranteeing the excellence and high craftsmanship of each product,’ emphasises Mec Europa’s General Manager, Paolo Baiguera.

The footwear industry, especially in the sport and safety sectors, can now count on new materials that are increasingly resistant, high-performance and sustainability-conscious. These innovative components guarantee high levels of performance in terms of both lightness and resistance and allow the aesthetics of the product to be customised, offering great freedom in terms of design flexibility. They are also entirely recyclable: thus they do not lose sight of eco-sustainability standards, an area to which Main Group has always paid great attention and in which it has also been working for years through Green Solutions.

The use of these materials in the design and production of footwear is only possible thanks to dedicated production technologies that make it possible to fully exploit all their physical and aesthetic properties: the 2024 edition of Simac will be an opportunity for Main Group to present an absolute preview of some of these exclusive innovations, a concrete sign of the Veneto-based company’s commitment to increasingly technological and eco-sustainable production.

The Bank Light collection expresses the unique style of Marc Sadler, award-winning designer of international renown, who designed the iconic Bank aluminium trolley for FPM Milano, developed and evolved over the years through the use of new materials and enriched with new details. Designed for all types of travel, Bank Light, now available in the new elegant moss green version, combines the flexibility and lightness of makrolon® polycarbonate with luxurious leather details.

The new Packing Cube line of the Bank on the Road collection, on the other hand, is composed of practical and colourful organisers, ideal for both work and leisure, which together are perfect for organising a suitcase internally, but can also be used individually. Each piece of the collection, combined with all the others, creates an organised and tidy ‘puzzle’, perfect for any collection and size of luggage by FPM Milano. The entire line is made of Econyl®: a revolutionary eco-sustainable yarn made from nylon waste.

The Padua-based company, active in the leisure, sports and luxury footwear sector, continues its expansion by reorganising its business with the creation of Nice Brand Lab, a division entirely dedicated to the distribution of its own and licensed brands. The business unit is headquartered in Padua, in a new company facility with an industrial flavour, a few kilometres from the headquarters. The choice is dictated by the desire to develop and enhance the peculiarities of the different product categories that the company oversees through the creation of dedicated business units. On the one hand, for the Nice Group, the market segment related to sportswear and lifestyle brands is constantly growing. On the other, the development plan for the luxury area continues, with M&A operations in the world of luxury manufacturing. To date, Nice Brand Lab’s portfolio counts the production and distribution licence of the Ellesse, Lyle & Scott and Avirex brands. In particular, Ellesse, the iconic Italian brand owned by the Pentland group, saw a 30% increase in sales in the Autumn/Winter season and the leadership of the new global LSR project, which embodies the timeless elegance and innovation of the Ellesse brand, reached more than 150 of the world’s best trainer and concept stores.