Abandoned fifteen years ago, the Portuguese textile industry has become attractive again in the eyes of European players in the sector.

Faced with the Asian strike force, Portugal relies on proximity to consumers and much better know-how than in China, as Europe 1 has seen.

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We are talking about a real "Portuguese miracle", in view of the speed with which the country has become attractive again: in the textile and leather goods industry, European companies have largely turned away from Lusitanian know-how, blinded by the profitability of subcontracted production in Asia.

But now, in recent years, Portugal has seen its order book explode.

One of the main reasons for this return lies in the fact that European consumers are now very careful about the eco-responsibility of the products they buy.

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In any case, this is what Jonak's boss, Marcel Nakam, thinks, who has chosen to locate his production close to the French market.

For 20 years, this French brand has produced 80% of its shoes a few kilometers south of Porto.

"We can start by producing small quantities, taking information from customers and restocking accordingly," he defends at the microphone of Europe 1. "So there is no waste. Today, the ecological constraint is a major constraint. Producing close to the place of distribution is a fairly important point, rather than organizing transport by boat or plane, which is a matter of major import. "

A higher production cost, but ...

The other strong point of Portugal is explained by the greater transparency shown by the country vis-à-vis China, both on production and on working conditions.

The other side of the coin?

Producing in Portugal is much more expensive than in China, even if the cost of labor is three times cheaper there than in France, for a know-how that has nothing to do with China.

Let us take the example of Jonak: in this family business, from the sole to the laces, including the leather, each stage of production requires traditional and manual know-how.

This is the case with the assembly of a court shoe described by Eric Kazan, the production manager: "The worker positions the top of the shoe with the lining, the inside ... It is delicate when you have to position flange after flange. For it to be perfect and no re-cuts to be made, you need a habit of working. "

Complete offer and innovation

Yet this miracle almost never happened.

15 years ago, the textile industry was almost a disaster in Portugal.

Mario Jorge Machado knows something about it: he is the president of the most important textile association in the country.

In its factory, north of Porto, modern machines are running at full speed in an area of ​​25,000 square meters.

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Brands have realized that they are too dependent on Asian countries

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Before arriving there, like many, the industrialist suffered the full brunt of the emergence of Asian markets.

"They have turned the market upside down," he says.

“We lost about 30% of our customers. Those who didn't leave reduced their orders. We downsized and then expanded again. After 2009, 2010, the market started to pick up. realized they were too dependent on Asian countries. "

Today, Mario Jorge Machado has more than 600 clients, in 54 countries around the world.

For him, as for other producers, the sustainability of the activity will be the challenge for the years to come.

The rebirth of the textile and leather goods industry is based on several things: a network of interdependent companies, which allows a complete offer, from design to logistics, but also the investment of hundreds of millions of euros for the innovation and for training.

What will it be tomorrow?

The next generation is difficult to convince, because of the low salaries.