Vietnam Shoe Show Reveals the Production Boom

From July 8–10, 2026, the 26th Vietnam International Shoes & Leather Exhibition officially opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.

As one of Southeast Asia’s leading trade fairs for the footwear and leather industry, the exhibition brings together footwear manufacturers, global buyers, and industry suppliers. Covering footwear machinery, leather materials, and intelligent manufacturing solutions, it serves as a key platform for exploring industry trends and accelerating smart manufacturing.

As the world’s second-largest footwear exporter, Vietnam continues to strengthen its position with the advantages of the RCEP regional supply chain. Growing OEM production from global brands is driving increasing demand for digital and automated manufacturing, making intelligent cutting and end-to-end digital production solutions key highlights of this year’s exhibition.

Local Footwear Industry Faces Transformation Challenges

Today, the Southeast Asian footwear industry is facing multiple operational challenges:

• Rising labor and leather material costs are increasing production expenses, while traditional manual nesting and cutting result in high material waste.
• More small-batch, fast-turnaround orders require greater production flexibility, yet conventional equipment often struggles with lengthy changeovers and inconsistent output.
• Processing advanced materials such as multilayer composites, thick foam, and genuine leather demands higher cutting precision, with rework adding further costs.
• Stricter environmental and quality standards from international buyers mean traditional manufacturing methods can no longer meet the requirements of today's export market.

As a result, more local manufacturers and export-oriented OEMs are seeking integrated smart manufacturing solutions that can be deployed quickly to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and accelerate standardized digital transformation.

At this year’s exhibition, GBOS showcased its one-stop intelligent cutting and innovative process solutions for footwear manufacturing. Covering leather inspection, intelligent nesting, and high-precision cutting, the integrated solution combines AI vision, intelligent algorithms, and IoT technologies to help manufacturers achieve smarter and more efficient production.

Smart Manufacturing Solutions Win Industry Recognition

The showcased solutions addressed key production challenges faced by footwear manufacturers. AI-powered nesting maximizes leather utilization to reduce material waste, while modular intelligent cutting systems handle a wide range of materials and seamlessly switch between mass production and small-batch customization. Real-time production data enables standardized shop-floor management and full process traceability, improving productivity, product quality, and material efficiency. With die-free manufacturing, factories can also significantly reduce tooling and inventory costs.

GBOS delivers ready-to-deploy digital workshop solutions for footwear manufacturers, with flexible configurations tailored to production capacity, material types, and factory layouts—making them ideal for OEM factories of all sizes in Vietnam.

Throughout the exhibition, the GBOS booth attracted a steady stream of visitors, including leading Vietnamese footwear manufacturers, global brand supply chain representatives, and equipment distributors from across Southeast Asia.

Live demonstrations showcased the complete smart production workflow, with real-world data illustrating improvements in material utilization, labor efficiency, and production capacity, giving visitors a clear view of the value delivered by automation.

Many factory owners noted that shrinking profit margins are accelerating the need for digital manufacturing. They recognized GBOS’s integrated solutions as a practical way to improve production stability and competitiveness, with several companies expressing preliminary cooperation intentions during the exhibition.

Backed by its local service network in Vietnam, GBOS provides end-to-end support—from machine installation and operator training to fast after-sales service—ensuring a smooth user experience and building long-term customer partnerships.

Driving the Future of Southeast Asia's Footwear Industry with Digitalization

The shift of global footwear manufacturing to Southeast Asia is a long-term trend. As traditional labor-intensive production gives way to smarter operations, digitalization and intelligent manufacturing have become the clear path for industry transformation.

GBOS remains committed to the global footwear industry by delivering proven smart manufacturing solutions backed by localized services, helping manufacturers across Southeast Asia modernize their production and accelerate digital transformation.

Looking ahead, GBOS will continue to innovate intelligent manufacturing solutions tailored to local industry needs, working closely with global footwear partners to build a more efficient, sustainable, and standardized smart manufacturing ecosystem.