Profile Historic		Where the footwear manufacturing poles are. State of Rio Grande do Sul Number of enterprises in 2005: 3.419 % of Brazil: 37,85 Number of employees in 2005: 126.784 % of Brazil: 42,45 Exports in US$ billion in 2007: 1.215 % of Brazil: 63,57 Exports in million pairs in 2007: 69 % of Brazil: 39,4 Exports in US$ million in 2006: 1.253 % of Brazil: 67,58 Exports in million pairs in 2006: 82 % of Brazil: 45,56 Fonte: RAIS/Minstério do Trabalho; SECEX/MDIC e ABICALÇADOS Footwear Poles in the state of Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul state is the main footwear producer in Brazil. There are companies in more than a hundred cities, that host from one to dozens factories. According to data from 2006, this state has around three thousand shoes companies, which employ 126 thousand direct jobs. Around 45 percent of Brazilian exports come from Rio Grande do Sul. In 2007, the shipments added up 69 million pairs and created a revenue of US$1.2 billion. Despite the fact that the productive units are spread in many cities, Rio Grande do Sul concentrates some shoes poles like the ones in Vale do Sinos, Vale do Paranhana, Serra Gaúcha and Vale do Taquari. Footwear Poles in Vale do Rio dos Sinos The region called Vale do Rio do Sinos is considered the biggest shoes cluster in the world. Located 50 kilometers from the capital of the state, Porto Alegre, the region includes the cities Nova Hartz, Araricá, Sapiranga, Campo Bom, Nova Sta Rita, Sapucaia, Esteio, Novo Hamburgo, Dois Irmãos, Ivoti, Estância Velha, Portão, Canoas and São Leopoldo, according to the classification of the Brazilian Statistics and Geography Institute (IBGE). The shoes produced in this region are shipped to more than 130 countries. The great concentration of companies specialized in women shoes forms one of the biggest productive arrangements of the footwear industry in the world. In the region, 80% of the producers of machines for the footwear production and 60% of the component producers are also located. The main shoes factories are placed in Sapiranga, Campo Bom, Dois Irmãos and Novo Hamburgo. This one is called The National Shoe Capital, for having hosted, in the 19th Century, the first footwear in series factories of the country. The footwear origin of the region dates back to 1824, when the first German immigrants came, the ones who had initiated the production of harnesses and boots. Footwear Poles in Vale do Paranhana The region called Vale do Paranhana is formed by the cities Taquara, Parobé, Igrejinha, Três Coroas, Rolante and Riozinho and it is located 50Km from Serra Gaúcha region and 70Km from Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande Do Sul. This pole is known by the production of high quality women footwear. Close to Vale do Rio do Sinos, this pole is formed by plants originated from the descendants of German immigrants, who arrived at Brazil in 1825. This cluster hosts dozen of raw-material and components suppliers and industries that produce annually about 60 million pairs, what gives it the title of greater footwear producer of Brazil, therefore it puts in the market about 10% of the national production - estimated in 725 million pairs. The region is also a reference of fashion and launchings of new products, mixing European trends with the Brazilian style. Although all the cities that belong to the Vale do Paranhana Pole produce footwear, the most stood out ones are: Parobé - the city of Parobé is one of the main producer of the Pole, with an annual production around 17 million pairs. It’s the headquarters of great Brazilian companies, such as Azaléia, Calçados Bibi and Bottero. The companies associated to the local footwear trade union generate about eight thousand direct jobs. Information: sindpar@tca.com.br Três Coroas - the city of Três Coroas also stands out, with an average of 16 million pairs/year. From this volume, about 2.5 million are exported to hundreds of countries. The labor union of the footwear industries hosts about 100 associated companies, being that 50 percent of them are footwear industries and the remain are service companies or suppliers, as sole industries; embroidering; synthetic laminates; bags; pre-fabricated; ateliers; soles and hills and; heels cover and straps and uppers. According to the labor union, these companies are the base of the city’s economy, being responsible, in 2005, for 5.4 thousand direct jobs, and approximately 4,5 thousand indirect jobs. Information: sindicatotrescoroas@terra.com.br Igrejinha - the footwear industry in Igrejinha produces about 19 million pairs annually, and three million pairs are exported. The Footwear Industry Trade Union has 53 associated companies, nine component companies and six ateliers, that generate 5.5 thousand direct jobs. Information: www.sindigrejinha.com.br Footwear Pole in Serra Gaúcha Located in the North of the state, 130 kilometers from Porto Alegre (capital of the state), the Serra Gaúcha is formed by some cities and small villages. The main ones are Bento Gonçalves, Canela, Carlos Barbosa, Caxias do Sul, Farroupilha, Garibaldi, Gramado, Nova Petrópolis, São Francisco de Paula and Flores da Cunha. Known internationally for the tourism, the region also hosts a series of small, medium and big footwear industries. Farroupilha - the main footwear producer in Serra Gaúcha is the city called Farroupilha. Host of the Italian settling in the state of the Rio Grande Do Sul, the city hosts 72 footwear companies, 38 of which are represented by the Footwear and Devices Industries Union of Farroupilha, that are responsible for 1.8 thousand direct jobs. The footwear industry is the third more representative sector of the local economy and it is the biggest shoes producer of the region. The companies, that are small, medium and big sized, produce feminine, masculine and children’s shoes, as well as accessories. Most of them are directed toward the domestic market, in special to the South and Southeastern regions; however some of them are also dedicated to the international market and send their products to South-American countries, with prominence for Argentina, Paraguay and Chile. The city of Nova Petrópolis also stands out for manufacturing footwear. Dakota Footwear is its main company. The city of Bento Gonçalves has the biggest plant of leather products of the country, Fasolo S/A.