PPE: MATERIALS, MACHINERY AND TECHNIQUES FOR THEIR PRODUCTION Javier Oñate Director of La Rioja’s Footwear Technological Centre (CTCR): WE ARE WORKING TO INCREASE COMPETITIVENESS Born in 1977, Javier Oñate joined the footwear sector after graduating as a Licentiate in Business Sciences. After working in companies of both footwear and machinery for footwear manufacturing, he took on the management of the Association of Footwear Manufacturers, remaining for five years, until he was appointed Managing Director of the CTCR, the post he holds today and simultaneously as the Secretary of La Rioja’s Association of Footwear Manufacturers. What is La Rioja’s Footwear Technological Centre (CTCR), when was it born and with what objectives? The CTCR, is a non-profit organisation, born in 2006 with the clear vocation of providing technological solutions to the demands of companies, public or private institutions, universities and other technological centres, adapting and evolving in the face of the ongoing changes of the market, and firmly committed to encouraging R+D+i as a process of sustainable growth and of strengthening company competitiveness. Amongst others, an important part of the CTCR’s aims are based on making R+D+i activities and projects more dynamic, encouraging technological transfer, increasing companies’ technological level, collaborating and cooperating with those operating in the sector, regional, state and international bodies and other technological centres, and contributing to the sustainable development and responsibility of society, etc. All of that focusing on increasing the competitiveness of the footwear and related industries. What are the CTCR’s most important activities? What services do its members provide? The CTCR carries out activities (projects or services) to strengthen or improve each and every one of the factors that increase companies’ competitiveness, like Quality, Design, TIC’s, R+D+i,Training and Internacionalización. So the company receives “ready to go” any project or service it requests to do with these factors. In broad terms, what do the Centre’s installations house? The CTCR houses an excellent multidisciplinary group of specialist professionals who provide personalised attention aimed at achieving the best answers to the footwear industry’s current needs, assisting it to maintain and improve its current position in the market. Moreover, it has the best equipped and most modern installations in the north of Spain, with the aim of fulfilling its commitment. Is there any priority area of work in the Centre’s activity? Can it be regarded as an ‘ideas factory’? All the areas are of the same priority and importance at the CTCR, but if I had to highlight one I’d tend towards Quality Control and EC Product Certification, as well as R+D+i, both for product and process. The Centre can indeed be regarded as an ideas factory. In fact, no more than half a year ago, a report was made about us on a TVE programme called precisely that! In your role as Director of the CTCR, how do you define the concept of innovation? Translated to our sector, I’d define it as, on the one hand the total or partial modification of a product or process, or the creation of a new one on the other hand, with the aim of successfully increasing the company’s competitiveness. Give us some of the most important projects the CTCR is working on at present. The CTCR is currently immersed in more than 30 projects, many of them are absolutely confidential, as they are projects with companies. However, it is researching along various lines centred on the improvement of functional qualities of existing materials, as well as the creation of new materials. It is also working on developing projects in the field of TICs, specifically on product development in 3 dimensions, in reality augmented, as well as in artificial vision. What concrete applications do the CTCR’s work and projects have in safety footwear at work that workers currently use, or will use in the short and medium term? Due to the number of companies there are in the area, safety footwear generally carries a very important weight at the CTCR, which is investigating new properties or functionalities. All the areas work in a very special way for this type of technical footwear. Like, for example, the area of Nanotechnology is working to improve the sliding properties, implement thermochromic materials or materials that are flame-proof, anti-perforation, anti-wear for floors, etc. Is there any other aspect you’d like to highlight? Taking advantage of the opportunity this interview gives me, I’d like to invite all companies in the footwear and related industries, and especially those of the safety footwear sub-sector, to come and visit us and get to know us, because I’m sure we have something that could interest them, as we’re the only centre in the north of Spain whose activity is centred on that sub-sector. IN THE FOOTWEAR AND RELATED INDUSTRIES INTERVIEW 113