A study on the technological requirement of the small and medium scale footwear industry in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The Small and Medium scale Enterprise (SME) footwear industry of Sri Lanka has a long history. However, the technology used in designing has hardly changed over the years. Around the world, research and development is being carried out on developing new technologies for designing and manufacturing footwear for different applications (Fernando et. al., 2005). These high quality products at a low cost inadvertently attract consumers and surpass the local footwear market. Thus, the local SME footwear industry has come to a juncture; either prosper by adopting new technology to compete against the imported products or to ignore the competitors and get perished from the industry.