Putting the best foot forward

Every day, a fleet of nearly 350 vehicles travels 20km across Cheyyar — located 100km from Chennai — ferrying thousands of workers to one of India's largest footwear manufacturing facilities. Promoted by Taiwan-based Feng Tay Group, the factory employs about 25,000, a majority of them women, producing non-leather footwear for leading global brands such as Nike. The project marks a turning point for Tiruvannamalai district, once regarded industrially backward, at a time when most of Tamil Nadu's footwear manufacturing activity is concentrated in the Chennai–Ranipet–Vaniyambadi–Ambur belt. Today, the State's footwear industry is undergoing a geographic shift, with large non-leather footwear projects moving to western and central regions of the state.A wave of investments is now reshaping the production landscape while generating large-scale employment opportunities, particularly for women in smaller towns and rural regions. High Glory Footwear India, a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Pou Chen Corporation, has set up operations in Kallakurichi while Freetrend (Dean Shoes) is expanding in Ariyalur, and Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd (KICL) is establishing a manufacturing facility in Karur. Tamil Nadu has attracted investments worth about `12,000 crore in the leather and non-leather footwear sector over the past two to three years, according to R Selvam, executive director of the council for leather exports (CLE), the apex body for the development of India's leather industry.
"This investment momentum will continue," he said. "Traditionally, footwear manufacturing was concentrated along established industrial corridors. As these regions become saturated with industries such as automobiles and electronics, non-leather footwear companies are exploring central and western districts. The sector does not require highly technical manpower, and workers can be trained within three months to two years, depending on job requirements."Israr Ahmed, former vice-president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) and MD of Farida Group, said policy support has played a crucial role in directing investments into emerging districts."Under the Tamil Nadu Leather and Footwear Products Policy 2022, incentives such as subsidised land in SIPCOT industrial parks, higher turnover subsidies for non-leather units in less-developed regions, and other support measures have drawn investments to districts such as Perambalur, Ariyalur, Karur and Kallakurichi. This approach promotes inclusive growth and could create up to one million jobs in the sector over the next few years," he said.The expansion has also increased women's participation in manufacturing employment. Non-leather footwear production is labour-intensive and generates large-scale jobs compared with many other industries, while not requiring heavy physical labour. In FY25, India's domestic leather and non-leather footwear industry recorded a turnover of about $19 billion, with exports contributing $5.6 billion. Tamil Nadu accounts for nearly 38% of the country's domestic and export turnover and remains the largest contributor. Nationally, women constitute around 40% of the workforce, while in Tamil Nadu their participation rises to nearly 90% in the leather products and footwear segment, Selvam added."Across major shoe-producing countries such as South Africa, Italy, Spain and China, women form a significant share of the factory workforce and also represent a dominant consumer segment in the global fashion industry," said N Mohan, CEO–Footwear at KICL. "Women are often preferred in this industry because of their sense of quality, patience and attention to detail in production processes. Growth in this sector not only supports economic development but also contributes to women's empowerment and workplace inclusivity," he added.The availability of greenfield labour is one of the key factors driving the projects to central and western districts, says Yavar Dhala, vice-president of Indian Shoe Federation and CEO of Infinite Leather. "The philosophy of athletic non-leather footwear manufacturers is simple — they prefer greenfield labour without prior exposure to traditional footwear manufacturing. Companies want to train workers from scratch in global best practices. Workers in newer districts are fresh entrants who can be aligned easily with organisational culture and production systems," he said.For most companies, the minimum educational qualification required is SSLC (Class X). Ahmed said investors have established training centres within project sites and partnered with central and state skill sector councils to train workers from rural areas. Experts from footwear institutions in Tamil Nadu provide hands-on training. Supervisors, managers and trainers are often sent abroad for advanced exposure before training local employees. "They are typically sent to Vietnam, China and sometimes Indonesia," he added.(With inputs from G Balachandar)