The Hindu Business Line : Vietnam, Brazil footwear firms eye foothold in TN

ONE of the largest manufacturers of footwear, PouChen of Vietnam, is scouting for a location in Tamil Nadu to set up a manufacturing facility, according to industry sources.

Also in the pipeline is an investment by the Brazil-based Kunz, which plans to set up a shoe last making unit near Chennai. (Shoe last is a foot-shaped mould around which a shoe is constructed.)

The investments are in line with the move of international players hoping to diversify their production facilities, but what is attracting them to Tamil Nadu are the investment opportunities, say sources.

The common infrastructure facilities such as the proposed footwear park and the footwear components park at Irrungatukottai, near Chennai is an element in attracting investments, they said.

It is still early in the day to put a figure on the size of investments by PouChen and Kunz.

PouChen is scouting for a location while Kunz is likely to put up the manufacturing facility at the Shoe Component Park proposed at Irrungatukottai.

PouChen, described as the largest manufacturer of footwear under one roof, caters to some of the leading international brands.

While the size of investments is yet to be confirmed, industry sources said that the facility could be one of the biggest in India.

PouChen's operations are known for their scale - just one unit in China manufactures over a 100,000 pairs of shoes a day.

It has facilities distributed across South East Asia, according to industry sources.

Kunz is likely to take up space at the footwear component park that is coming up adjacent to the footwear park near Chennai, the sources said.

Investments such as that of PouChen's will serve to catalyse further investments in footwear and component units. PouChen caters to big names such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok, they said.