On 09 April 2026, FDDI formalised a strategic collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry, Institute of Quality (CII-IQ) through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
On behalf of FDDI, Mr. Vivek Sharma, IRS, Managing Director (MD), FDDI signed the MoU whereas Maj Neil Castelino, Chief, CII-IQ signed the MoU.
The partnership aims to strengthen competitiveness, productivity and quality standards across India’s footwear and leather ecosystem through focused industry collaboration and capacity-building initiatives.
Key areas of collaboration include industry access and cluster development, enabling CII-IQ to engage with MSMEs and OEMs across the country to build quality-driven industrial clusters. The partnership will also focus on structured training programmes on operational excellence and Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) for FDDI professionals and industry stakeholders.
In addition, CII-IQ will extend its consulting expertise nationwide to support measurable improvements in operational performance and MSME cluster transformation through periodic reviews and continuous improvement frameworks. The collaboration will further promote the development of a robust quality ecosystem through model excellence clusters, certification pathways and exposure to industry best practices.
The implementation roadmap for the partnership was jointly deliberated with active participation from Mr. Prashant Kumar Saxena, Mr. Rohan Krishanmoorthy and Mr. Vishal Saxena.
This strategic collaboration reflects a shared commitment towards building a future-ready, quality-driven and globally competitive ecosystem for the footwear and leather industry in India.
