Volontè: Upgrade and diversify advice to SA
Published: 7th Nov 2023
Felice Volontè…SA manufacturers need to diversify.
Volontè System Conveyor director Felice Volontè believes South African footwear manufacturers have the potential to increase production “substantially”, and to grow their export business, but that they must upgrade their products, and diversify their production.
He was an annual visitor to South Africa before covid, and intends to resume his trips next year. Volontè conveyors – for closing and making tracks – are popular in SA, with recent installations at Palm Footwear, Novita Shoes, and Labora Shoes, in KZN, and Bolton Footwear in Cape Town.
“I’ve been inside many South African footwear factories, small, medium, and big,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of old equipment, and quite a lot of Chinese-made machinery, and those factors can affect quality, because of technical advances and because Chinese machinery doesn’t usually produce the same quality footwear as Italian machinery.”
“The factories need investment. They also need to broaden their vision. About 95% of their production is for the domestic market, and there are so many school shoes!”
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