GUSTAVO F. KREMER Brazilian (36) João de Ver, Portugal Managing Director, ECCO Portugal RAMPING UP PRODUCTION IN PORTUGAL ECCO’s factory in Portugal was completely modernised in 2014, and it is now one of the world’s most technologically advanced shoe factories. ECCO Portugal has 4 production lines and approximately 1,300 employees. The factory’s management, and staff, kept production running while the rebuild took place, and this was a remarkable team effort. ECCO Portugal is today not only a highly efficient shoe manufacturer, but also a Centre of Excellence for both product and technology development. The decision to restart the Portuguese plant was based on the fact that some of the best shoemaking knowledge is found here. There is a strong shoemaking tradition in Portugal, and a relatively high number of skilled shoe artisans. There are several educational institutions for shoemaking in the country, and they produce competent designers and technicians. ECCO is known for its innovative approach to shoemaking, and a significant amount of ECCO’s research and development (R&D) takes place in Portugal, in close collaboration with headquarters in Denmark. The work of the teams in Denmark and Portugal ranges from pure research to new developments in processes and materials. The resumption of production in Portugal has contributed significantly to ECCO’s global production footprint, and together with the factory in Slovakia, it has greatly strengthened the service to customers in key European markets. Our consumers expect to have the latest ECCO shoes on the shelves as quickly as possible, which places increasing demands on ECCO’s capability to produce and deliver shoes. The ramping up of production in Portugal has FRQWULEXWHGWRWKHÁH[LEOHDQGDJLOHSURGXFWLRQDQG delivery systems that meet these demands. 36 ECCO Annual Report 2014
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