29 Hostelry Dian Quality footwear, certi- fied Dian is a company that started manufacturing footwear for those working in the healthcare sector, some twenty five years ago. Follo- wing extensive research and bearing in mind the specific needs of this sector (people spend long hours on their feet, go up and down staircases or ramps, step on wet floors, pushing stretchers, etc.), the company determined footwear should be designed with closed heels,and feature non-slip properties.At the same time,it had to be flexible, light in weight, antistatic, and as PPE, it had to be tested at a laboratory. Some time later Dian decided it would also work for the hos- telry sector, comprising all hospitality businesses, restaurants, etc. “The products we were successfully marketing among health- care actors featured every property required by workers in those other sectors. By slightly adapting our products, comfort and safety would improve for them as well. Up to that time, pe- ople in the hostelry sector wore regular shoes to work”, states Joaquín Mataix, manager of Dian. focus on technical materials for work footwear offering safety, comfort, easy care, durability and breathability. The company works to adapt all products to footwear stan- dards.“All of our footwear styles are certified to EN-ISO 20347 standards for work footwear, and many of our footwear models are Eco labeled.This means our footwear is safe, guaranteed to perform, in various sectors including healthcare, hostelry, bakery, cleaning services, beauty and esthetics, uniforms, kitchen, homes for the elderly, etc.”, the manager points out. Dian footwear is internationally recognized, and as an example of this, we find that a major part of the company’s invoicing figu- res corresponds to exportation. Dian is present in major Euro- pean Community markets (France, Germany, Portugal, Italy...) as well as in Latin America and Arab countries. Dian is also re- gularly present at major national and international trade fairs in its sector, through its distributors and also, as an exhibiting parti- cipant. “We usually showcase our products in Spain, Germany, and France”, Mataix comments. International presence Materials used by Dian to produce footwear, in all of their types, are carefully selected to be of superior quality, with a JOBWEAR 69 No II / 2014