Operations
Meeting the talent challenge
ASIA
Operations
Founded by Birte and Karl Toosbuy in 1963 , ECCO has always adhered to the Scandinavian philosophy of functionality and simplicity . Still a family business five decades on , the company has swelled to produce 20 million pairs of shoes per year , going out to nearly 90 countries with a 19,500-strong workforce worldwide . ECCO , despite its size , owns the majority of its assets . “ We are almost 100 percent owner operated throughout our production operations ,” Phillips explains .
“ We make the leather , we make our shoes ; we own a lot of our own warehouses . We also have owner operated retail space and e-commerce platforms . Our strategy is to to grow the
owner operated footprint in both retail and e-commerce .”
“ Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and talent within supply chain but not specifically in shoemaking ”
For ECCO , moving operations to Singapore was crucial . Phillips says : “ The aim is be closer to our operations ; 70 percent of our manufacturing is in Asia -
Indonesia , China and Thailand , and the other 30 percent is in Europe .
“ Having the daily global operations in Denmark , which is a long way away from Asia , made things a bit difficult . Also the access to new talent pools in Asia is seen as an opportunity for running companies completely based in Asia .”
Meeting the talent challenge
Singapore was initially somewhat of a double-edged sword when it came to recruiting talent , but
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