Rui Guerreiro assumes the management of the IBTeC

 

Be acquainted with the purposes and aims of the Institute and what the new president thinks about this Thirty four years ago, the IBTeC – Brazilian Institute of Technology for Leather and Footwear – serves the footwear-leather segment , actuating as an research institute for new technologies, as a certifier of the quality covering the footwear chain products, all over the country, and also as certifier in the Biomechanics area, having one of the best biomechanics laboratories of South America . The IBTeC actuates in partnership in many areas as quality tests for footwear, components and raw material, through its chemical and physical-mechanical laboratory, and also measurement tests for the comfort levels of the footwear. In operational area, it has a consultancy team that supports the industries of all the country, seeking for improvements that can assurance a higher productivity and optimization of the results, so that it can have a higher quality for the products offered to the national and international market, for the final product.

The IBTeC is the only Latin American institution credentialed by the SATRA to emit technical reports with recognition of the certifier that is from England , and it is the most respectable institute of quality certification in the world.

CEBEC: research of technologies of comfort and performance

 

The ‘ Nestor Herculano de Paula' Brazilian Center of Footwear Engineering (CEBEC) was created by the IBTeC in 2002, it uses high technology and it develops new techniques and proceedings on the manufacture of footwear, in order to differentiate the Brazilian product.

The CEBEC also develops many projects with the sports footwear industries, in order to assure these footwear performances, based on biomechanics tests.

The CEBEC's Biomechanics Lab is utilized to try the footwear of the industries, and it emits reports about comfort. Last generation equipments are utilized to measure the comfort levels of the footwear, and if they are approved, they receive an identification seal which can be used by the companies as a marketing tool.

 

IBTeC coordinates first research project on nanotechnology area for the footwear segment

 

The IBTeC is coordinating the first research project on nanotechnology area for the footwear system. This year, the first results of the research that begun in January will appear, it is about adhesives. The project, coordinated by the Quality Control Nucleus – NCQ – from IBTeC, in partnerships with the Orbys Desenvolvimento, Sao Paulo - SP, aims the implementation of the research for the application of the nanotechnology on inputs production for the footwear system. The research project count also on the participation of the University of Campinas – Unicamp – from Sao Paulo , and on the support of the Study and Projects Financing Institution – Finep. The researches are studying the development of inputs for the adhesives manufacture – in addition to other applications in soles, heels and insoles – based on the mechanic and antistatic proprieties of the polymer-clay nanocomposites. The project will also research inputs for the production of revetment materials for the air retention under pressure of the sporting balls.

The first research project for the application of the nanotechnology covering the footwear system in the country is part of the Finep's Nanotechnology and Nanoscience Development Program, Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT).

 

Footwear Booklet for supporting shopkeepers

 

In order to support the retail segment with technical information about the manufacturing of the footwear, the Brazilian Institute of Technology for Leather, Footwear and Artifacts (IBTeC), the Brazilian Footwear and Leathergoods Retailers Association (Ablac) and the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados) have elaborated, together with the manufacturers and shopkeepers, the Footwear Booklet – a work tool for supporting the training of the sale team in order to promote the satisfaction of the footwear customer's requirements.

The Booklet offers technical information which can be used as training for the sellers, so that the sales can be qualified. The publication is addressed to approximately 40,000 footwear points of purchase that have been registered in Brazil .

 

 

COUROBUSINESS talked to the new president of the IBTeC, Rui Guerreiro, who has mandate from 2007 January through 2008 December – about the institute plans for the next years. Rui Guerreiro is lawyer expert in Business Law ; he is post graduated in Civil Procedure and in Tax Law, and with MBA in Business Management. His office is in Sapiranga / RS - Brazil , and he works for great companies all over the country. Guerreiro says that he will work so that the institute can be expansive, through the activities decentralization, “paying attention to the other segments in Brazil ”.

 

Which are the IBTEC's plans and projects for the next years?

 

The proposal is to take the institute to assume its condition of being a national entity, by establishing decentralized unities in the most important poles of the country. The aim is to make a research covering the companies in each pole and establish some goals base don the needs that were verified in each region of the country, and specially based on the entity's financial conditions for this project viability.

The first goal is to search for partnerships with funding agencies and with universities, in order to certify the access to the IBTeC services for the micro and small business. Thus, we will be doing a strong work for coming near to this segment of the footwear-leather economy, looking for information about its requests, and showing all the services and projects that we can offer. This action aims to contribute to the small companies so that they can aggregate more value to their products, through investments in surveys of quality and of Biomechanics, and so that they can overcame new markets for their products, in the internal market as well as in the external market. We have a lot to accomplish in this market segment, and we will make a work of research in order to supply the micro and small business as best as we can.

Which are the areas and the governmental projects that are important for the IBTEC, and why?

 

The IBTeC has some projects in course with areas such as the FINEP, which is supporting the first research project of the nanotechnology use for the segment, and a project for the qualification of the physical and chemical tests labs of the institute. The proposal is to come near to the governmental institutions which support the research and to the universities all over Brazil , so that we can have the support in research projects of new technologies for the segment. We are also working together with some institutions such as the Sebrae and the CNPQ – National Council for Scientific and Technological Development -, looking for reports that can bring results to our segment.

 

Which kind of co-operation the IBTeC intends for these agencies?

 

The IBTeC is the research institution for the footwear-leather segment, and it can contribute by furnishing its location and its labs so that the researches can be developed in many areas, such as the quality evaluation of the final products, components and raw material, and also biomechanics tests which could contribute to the enhancement of the Brazilian products quality from the point of view of the users' comfort and health. We can also offer our location for qualification courses, for meetings of these agencies with the companies and leaderships of the segment, among other initiatives.

A more and more evident worry by the planet about the environment question is also our worry. Thus, we are working on the planning of actions which can offer solutions for many areas such as the treatment of production residues, which completely damages the environment.

 

 

The Law 11.211, of 19/12/2005, establishes that is obligatory the hide identification on the manufacturing of footwear and artifacts. The Law, which is an initiative from the CICB, is important to the hide valorization and we believe that it is also important to the IBTeC. At this moment, however, it has not been regulated and it has not brought under control yet. Does the IBTeC have any action regarding to this subject?

 

Actually, the IBTeC has a project together with the CICB, for elaborating a booklet so that the manufacturers can adequately identify these products. We support the CICB's conquest, and we are ready to help on the elaboration of a booklet, which by the way is already being done, because there is a committee with the IBTeC's participation for the booklet elaboration.

 

In 2006 36 million of bovine hide were exported, and there was: 58% Wet Blue; 31% Trimmed; 10% Crust e 1% Salty. How does the IBTEC see this participation of the several kinds of hide on exportation? Which would be the ideal participation to be followed by the footwear-leather chain?

 

We think that the ideal segmentation for the exportation should be defined by the entities that directly represent the segment of the leather processing. The IBTeC will always be protecting the interests of the co-sisters entities, which know the reality of its segment, and know which is the ideal proportion for this segment.

 

How does the IBTeC see the recent decision of the CAMEX, which intends to increase to 9% the tax imposed on the exported Wet Blue?

 

The IBTeC just follows and supports the entities attached to each segment of the footwear system. If the national manufacturers of leather are satisfied about the measure of the government, we will be supporting this condition. If there is any movement of the segment, which can be looking for more useful measures for this area, we will be doing everything that would be requested in order to support the CICB and Aicsul demands.

 

How dos the IBTeC analyses the China effect on the Brazilian footwear and leather industry, from the commercial point of view as well as the technological, knowledge and creation? And what about the effects on the RS, most specifically?

 

We do recognize that the China effect is part of a process in which none of us can definitely interfere, because it deals about an international macro economy movement . However, the industry will be protected through some technological innovations, through the constant seek on the reduction of the production costs, and we also believe that the Brazilian government might be attentive to the measures that can be adopted in order to protect our manufacturers, by repressing the access of Chinese products reported as dumping, or through the irregular access of this products in our market. If it is loyal, the competitions must be free, and it must be base don the accomplishment of the international trade rules, to which our country has always been submitted.

 

Revista Courobusiness – Edição nº 50 – jan/fev 2007