From August 31st to September 3rd, the UITIC Congress in Shanghai immersed attendees in the footwear industry by combining factory tours with presentations on the sector’s cutting-edge advances. President Sergio Dulio concluded the successful Congress by highlighting its key findings.
The 22nd UITIC Congress, themed “Competitiveness and Sustainability in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” took place in Shanghai (August 31st–September 3rd). The schedule was divided, offering two days for participants to tour local manufacturing facilities followed by the main congress, which featured presentations under four distinct sub-themes.
The event, a collaboration between UITIC and the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), hosted 300 delegates in Shanghai. These participants came from 14 countries and regions, representing the full scope of the footwear industry chain.
On the 31st, visits kicked off with a visit to the Shanghai Art & Design Academy (SADA), the only independently established vocational college in Shanghai specialising in art and design. In the afternoon, participants visited Shanghai Shima Technology, a high-tech that specialises in the design, research, development, production, and sales of footwear products, and Zhejiang Huafon New Materials, a core enterprise under Huafon Group, which is one of the top 500 enterprises in China.
On the 1st, the tour included a visit to Do-Win, a high-performance sports brand specialising in track and field, which has received awards such as ‘China Famous Brand Product’ and ‘China Well-known Trademark’. This was followed by a visit to Saina, a company specialising in the professional design, production and sales of labour protection shoes.
The 2nd of September began with an opening ceremony featuring welcome speeches from Yuzhong Li (Vice Chairman of CNLIC and President of CLIA), Sergio Dulio (President of UITIC) and Bi Shi (Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering).
Then, throughout the day, three sub-thematic sessions took place: ‘Materials and Product Innovation’, ‘Sustainability as an Opportunity for Competitiveness’ and ‘Smart and AI-Empowered Manufacturing’. Each session featured expert presentations from all around the world showcasing the latest advances in the footwear industry.
It is also worth highlighting the keynote speeches by Nicoline van Enter of Footwearology, centred on “From Shoes to Systems: AI-Driven Workflows for the Next Generation of Footwear” and “Technological Innovation Promotes Sustainable Development” by Wei Liu of Li Ning.
On the last day of the event, in addition to a sub-thematic session focusing on successful industrial case studies, the presentations concluded with a discussion on the power of AI in the footwear business.
During Wednesday morning’s closing remarks, Sergio Dulio revisited the key themes explored throughout the Congress. He found Nicoline van Enter’s analogy of AI as a “nervous system” particularly compelling, especially when paired with the notion that “humans are setting the rules and overseeing its deployment.” Together, these ideas suggest a promising and responsible integration of AI into both daily life and industrial processes. The Congress also spotlighted innovations in materials and how new compounds can interact with existing ones, and the potential of emerging technologies to reshape production. AI’s role in streamlining and even revolutionising footwear manufacturing was a recurring highlight.