The hub’s efficient, modern structure boasts a leading-edge experimental tannery; an experimental production-line solution enabling implementation and replication of the entire shoemaking process; a workshop for control of performance (and eco-toxicology assessment) of the finished product; analytic laboratories; and modern, technologically equipped lecture halls for trainees.

The hub’s missions consist in ‘stealing a march’ on marketplace demands; research; process and product innovation; and focusing on environmental impact and compatibility issues. It therefore teams up with important Universities and research institutes, and the main services centres of Tuscany, and engages in ongoing research into all facets of the leather sector and chain.

PO.TE.CO. is a certified training agency serving tanneries and the fashion chain. This branch of the University of Pisa, handling four degree courses, is the outcome of teamwork between the University and local tanners’ associations.

Training activities include many courses hosted by the structure (not only for employees but also for jobseekers). The aim is to provide and upgrade skills via a multidisciplinary approach useful for jobseekers and for recruiters on the lookout for fully trained human resources, leading to preparedness and high placement levels.