Uzbekistan’s first-ever automated shoe manufacturing factory has been launched in Ferghana district of Ferghana oblast.

Uzbek media report say an official opening ceremony of Vodiy – Shoes with the participation of direct investment by the France’s Atkorschultz Ltd was held on September 10.  

The new enterprise with a total project cost of US$8.5 million is aimed at producing high-quality men's, women's and children's shoes made of genuine leather, according to Podrobno.uz.

UzDaily says the state-of-the-art production equipment from Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy has been installed at the enterprise.

This is the first enterprise with an automated shoe production cycle in Uzbekistan.  Soon similar enterprises are expected to appear in a number of other regions of the country.

Products are made mainly from local raw materials.  The annual capacity of the enterprise is more than 1 million pairs of shoes.