Diadora to revive manual production line

(ANSA) - Treviso, June 9 - Sports shoe manufacturer Diadora is to revive an old production line using now-defunct manual technology and skilled workers redirected for the purpose, the company said Tuesday. Nine people are to hand-make 120 pairs of sneakers using old machines 'inherited' by the Moretti Polegato family when they took over the company in 2010, and which have been in disuse for at least 10 years.
"The aim is to bring production back into our premises and valorise those skills that risk disappearing as the more expert workers approach retirement," Diadora chairman and CEO Enrico Moretti Polegato said. "Over the next few years we aim to increase this section of Km 0 Made in Italy to 10% of total production," he continued. Diadora currently employs 140 people and posted 2014 revenue of 247 million, up 15% over the previous year.