The 7th CPM - COLLECTION PREMIERE MOSCOW, from 6-9 September 2006 at the Krasnaya Presnaya Expocentre, offers its numerous international trade visitors a unique overview of women's, men's and children's fashion, young fashion, lingerie, leather and fur garments and accessories. In a total area of approximately 40,000 square metres, more than 1,100 labels from 31 leading countries will present their spring/summer 2007 collections.

Turkish chemical producers Sisecam are organising two seminars to be held at the end of the July in China. The first seminar will be held in Xinji city, Hebei province on July 28. The second will be held in Jinjiang city, Fujian, on July 31. The seminars will focus on chrome tanning and chaired by Asim Onculer, a well-known Turkish specialist in the leather field.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that manufacturers of leather and leather products in Ukraine recorded combined sales worth UAH519 million (USD103 million) in the first five months of this year.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that the production of leather and leather products in Ukraine in the first half of this year was 16.5% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, industrial output as a whole in Ukraine was 3.6% higher year-on-year.

Slovenia's Statistical Office reports that sales of leather and leather products by manufacturers in Slovenia in 2005 were worth SIT79 billion (USD420 million), with sales on the domestic Slovenian market worth SIT21 billion (USD112 million) and on foreign markets, SIT58 billion (USD308 million).

Slovakia's State Statistical Office reports that the producer price of leather and leather products in Slovakia in the first five months of this year was 0.1% lower as compared with the same period in 2005. In comparison, the annual increase in the industrial producer price index in Slovakia in the January to May period was 6.6%.

Slovakia's State Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Slovakia in the first five months of this year was 0.2% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, overall manufacturing output in Slovakia in the January to May period was 8.8% higher year-on-year.

Organisers APLF have announced that the 2007 Prime Source Forum will be held March 29-30, 2007, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This second edition follows on from the successful launch in Hong Kong in the spring of 2006 when some 200 senior executives of major brand owners and retailers, manufacturers, service providers and suppliers from 20 countries attended the two-day event (see [http://www.primesourceforum.com]).

Poland's Central Statistical Office reports that the average gross monthly wage in the Polish leather industry in the first quarter of this year was PLN1,510 (USD466), a year-on-year increase of 4.6%. In comparison, the average gross monthly wage in Poland in this year's first quarter was 4.7% higher year-on-year at PLN2,530 (USD779).

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that Serbia exported leather and leather products worth USD56.3 million in the first five months of this year, as compared with USD46.5 million in the same period last year. Serbian imports of the same types of commodities in the January to May period were worth USD91.2 million, as against USD73.1 million in the corresponding period in 2005.

Russia's State Statistics Committee reports that a total of 44,300 people were employed in Russia's leather and leather products industry in the first quarter of this year, 5.0% fewer than in the same period in 2005, according to the Interfax news agency.

Croatia's Bureau of Statistics reports that the level of product stocks held by leather industry companies in Croatia in May was 0.1% higher than in April and 14.1% lower than in May last year. In comparison, product stocks held by manufacturers as a whole in Croatia in May were 1.3% lower month-on-month and 3.9% lower year-on-year.

The Conseil National du Cuir (French National Leather Council) will launch a new advertising campaign in October to promote the use of leather among the general public.

The next edition of Le Cuir A Paris to be held September 19-22 has already exceeded the organisers' expectations. 264 exhibitors have confirmed their participation out of which 48 are new companies. Italy comes out on top with 47% of participants (an increase of 12% in comparison with September 2005), followed by France (23%), Spain (13%), other European countries (Belgium, England, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Portugal, Switzerland, Türkiye) 10%, and other regions (Argentina, Brazil, China, Pakistan, South Africa, Uruguay and USA) 9%.

BLC recently sponsored an exciting project with the Fashion School, University of Northampton. The aim of the exercise was to produce themed leather-based designs for display in the training, meeting and reception areas at BLC's premises in Northampton.

Azerbaijan's State Statistics Committee reports that livestock production in Azerbaijan in the first four months of this year was 2.1% higher than in the same period last year, according to the Interfax news agency.

The Supervisory Board of BASF Aktiengesellschaft has extended the appointment of BASF Chairman Dr Jürgen Hambrecht until the end of the Annual Meeting in 2011. Hambrecht's appointment was originally scheduled to expire in 2007.

The long-term director general of the International Council of Hides Skins & Leather Associations Anthony Cox, OBE, died on July 3. Although in retirement, Tony still liked to keep his eye on what was going on in the leather industry he was so actively involved with for many years.

Growth of the Japanese leather industry appears to be continuing following a successful edition of the Tokyo Leather Fair in early July. The 74th edition of the fair attracted 94 exhibitors from around the world and a 6% increase in visitors compared with the last exhibition. Of particular notice was the 10.7% increase of visitors recording an interest in the footwear sector given that the exhibition is traditionally geared towards buyers of leathergoods.

Shri S S Kumar, former National Chairman of the Council for Leather Exports and currently the Chairman of the Governing Body of the Government College of Engineering and Leather Technology, has been awarded a knighthood by the Italian government. The award Cavaliere dell' Ordine Stella della Solidarieta Italiana or the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity is awarded by the Foreign Minister of Italy under the Decree of the Italian President for Italians and foreign nationals residing outside Italy, who have significantly contributed to the prestige of Italy by way of promoting Italian culture and language and by way of any voluntary activity or humanitarian service that enhances the cordial relations the Italian community enjoys in the world.

The international 'Footwear Fashion Future Award 2006' for young designers will be presented at the 102nd GDS by the Main Association of the German Footwear Industry (HDS e.V.) in cooperation with Messe Düsseldorf. Potential award winners established by the jury will be invited to come to Düsseldorf on the second day of this year's GDS, 16 September 2006. There they will be personally present to prepare the presentation and at the award presentation. This is the tenth time the event has been organised by the HDS.

In the ongoing conflict between Europe and Asia regarding anti-dumping duties, EU minister Peter Mandelson has been accused of 'hurting low-income families' following a new tariff that will affect children's shoes. The EU Commission's plan will be proposed to national ministers this summer. The tariffs will be added to the wholesale price of shoes with leather uppers and man-made soles.

New Designers is delighted to announce the winners of the 2006 awards for best textiles, fashion and accessories at New Designers Part 1 (29 June - 2 July 2006). Judging for Part 1 of the two-week event took place with leading industry figures picking the winners from the 2,000 dynamic graduates whose work is showing at New Designers 06.

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N2 has been reported at Riversdale in Western Cape province in an ostrich rearing farm (58 ostriches) aged 4 months.

Royal Leather Industries first effluent treatment plant, located in Sheikhupura, was inaugurated by Neils Veenis, first secretary of development of the Royal Netherlands Embassy.

The eighth Shoes & Leather Viet Nam 2006, the annual Vietnam leather and shoe fair, took place in Ho Chi Minh city from June 27-29 at the HIECC. Organised by the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) the event attracted more than 100 enterprises from 14 countries and territories including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Korea and Iran along with many domestic firms. Lefaso planned the event in collaboration with Vietnam Leather Shoes Company, Top Repute (Hong Kong) and Mecanimex Company.

Share prices for Nike dropped after the company reported their first drop in profits in three years on lower European shoe sales and an unfavorable contract ruling. Nike, the world's largest athletic brand, said that fourth-quarter profit fell 4.8% as European shoe sales slipped.

While the Japanese government has agreed to resume US beef imports conditional on favourable plant inspections, most Japanese consumers appear to disagree with the decision. A telephone survey of 1,965 randomly selected adults conducted by the Asahi newspaper ,June 24-25, revealed that 52% of respondents rejected reopening Japan's market to US beef. A lowly 37% said they would accept but a significant 71% of those surveyed said they did not want to eat US beef even if imports resumed.

Footwear sector exports in Italy amounted to 6.09 billion euros (US$7.67 billion) for 2005, a decrease from 6.12 billion euros the previous year. Meanwhile, imports rose in value to 2.88 billion euros from 2.58 billion euros in 2004 and domestic consumption increased from 3.38 billion euros to 3.43 billion.

The final visitor figures examined by international auditing firm, PriceWaterhouseCoopers have just been published by the organisers. Out of a total of 45,915 visitors, the Materials Manufacturing and Technology Fair attracted 27,819 buyers almost half of which (49%) were looking for all types of hides, skins and leathers, 33% were looking for new suppliers and 28% sourcing and placing orders.

The ACLE fair due to take place in Shanghai in September will be bigger than ever and the organisers say that it is still growing from the international side. The focus of the fairs is the China market which explains a growing number of international companies exhibiting as they want to increase their exposure and business with this market. CIFF (footwear) and Moda Shanghai (leather/fur garments and other leathergoods) will run alongside. For the first time this year, the two fairs, ACLE on one side and CIFF Moda Shanghai on the other will have distinct entrances and dedicated halls.

The number of livestock farms in Ferghana city in Uzbekistan is to be increased from the current 29 to 40 by 2010 under a government programme to develop the livestock sector in Uzbekistan's regions, according to UzReport.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported raw hides and skins, and leather and leather products, worth US$74.4 million in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 12.5%. Ukrainian imports of the same types of commodities in the same period were 7.6% higher year-on-year at US$38.5 million

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Serbia in the first five months of this year was 2% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, industrial output in Serbia in the January to May period was 5.9% higher year-on-year.

Poland's Central Statistical Office reports that Poland produced 2,527 tonnes of leather in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 20%.

The branch of Laos' Agricultural and Industry Development Export and Import Company in Bokeo province has started breeding livestock for export, according to the KPL news agency. The company, which started breeding livestock in 2003, is now recording an annual income from selling cattle of around US$5,924.

Ireland's Central Statistical Office reports that Ireland imported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth 800,000 euros in the first quarter of this year, compared with 700,000 euros in the corresponding period in 2005. Irish exports of the same types of commodities in the first quarter were worth 26.4 million euros, as against 16.1 million euros in the same period last year.

Croatia's Central Statistics Bureau reports that the production of leather and leather products in Croatia in the first five months of this year was 17.3% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, the annual increase in industrial output in the January to May period was 3.8%.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federal Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Bosnia and Herzegovina in May was 11.8% higher than in April and 2.8% lower than in May 2005. In comparison, the monthly fall in industrial output in Bosnia and Herzegovina in May was 1.6% and the annual increase, 5.1%.

Azerbaijan's State Statistics Committee reports that Azerbaijan produced leather and leather products worth US$4.56 million in 2005, compared with US$5.10 million the previous year.

Pittards has agreed to sell its loss-making factory in Leeds for £6.5 million. The 180-year-old company secured the sale after announcing plans to close the site with the loss of 300 jobs last Christmas. The closure was blamed on high running costs and disappointing sales. The company said it would stay at the site until December, when operations will be transferred to their main base in Yeovil and a sub-contractor in Taiwan. In a statement to the stock exchange, Pittards said the proceeds from the sale would be used to reduce borrowings across the group. In 2005, Pittards, which has run the site in Leeds since the 1970s and also has operations in Ethiopia, made operating losses of £2.5m.

Government export agency Apex-Brasil have signed an agreement with Brazilian Tanners' Association CICB, Footwear Association ABICALCADOS, and components association ASSINTECAL to work together to promote exports of Brazilian leather and leathergoods. The pact designates resources of R$43.9 million (US$19.5 million) for export promotion projects over the coming year. The agreement was signed in Franca, Sao Paulo state, on June 26.

The UK leather industry showed under the banner of the newly formed UKLF at the recent Asia Pacific Leather Fair in Hong Kong. This was the first official event featuring the UK Leather Federation and the UK leather brand was clearly in evidence at the UK Leather Pavilion.

With customers increasingly looking for chrome-free alternatives, BLC set themselves the challenge of coming up with a new tanning method which will emulate chrome-tanned leather characteristics without actually using chrome. The results are a novel epoxide tannage which should be available on the market in 12-18 months.

The 'intelligent' labelling of products (such as RFID - Radio Frequency Identification) is a suitable solution. However, it does not apply to specific needs in the leather sector, particularly in regards to the processing and use of leather as a material.

While the US hide trade is selling hides which have not yet actually been removed from the animals, they are aware that this situation cannot last much longer. It is not just a question of getting the hides to their destination in time to meet the various customs handbook deadlines, but they must also allow for the leather to be processed and then manufactured into finished goods for re-export.

A number of medium sized tanning groups appear to be investing in Argentina at the moment. Strong exports, a weak currency and restrictions on exports of raw and semi-processed hides have all enabled positive market conditions.

federally inspected slaughter figures for the four-week period ended May 13 showed an average weekly kill of 658,000 against 633,250 a year earlier. In the previous four-week period these figures were 609,250 head (576,000).

Custom books for the majority of the Taiwanese owned tanneries in Guangdong province are said to expire by the end of June. This means that hides should arrive by the end of April in order to stay within the deadline for the export of the finished products. Remember the tanners have to deliver to their customers who must then make the final product, export it and have the paperwork done before end June in order to avoid being debited import duty and vat We have seen an excess shipment reported of 744,000 hides versus the same period last year. This shows how tanners have been trying to beat the clock. But what will be sold and shipped when this grace period is finally over? The million dollar question, our source in China calls it.

Prices for virtually every selection have advanced since our last report. Producers have continued to sell themselves extremely far forward with the end result that they would only take on new sales if higher prices could be obtained. Tanners in China, still enjoying good business but facing the eventual expiry of their 'tax free' import permits, bought abnormally heavy quantities.

Kills eased off in early May as expected at this time of year. These lower kills should continue until late July at the earliest. Despite this prices fell back in May for a number of reasons. Firstly the weakness of the US Dollar which lost 8% of its value against sterling between mid-March and mid-May, has and will continue to put pressure on the market.

Ken Boyson died on April 16 after a debilitating illness. He was 57.

SL Navalhas have launched 3,300mm knives for shaving whole hides and skins. SL are a Brazilian company with a tradition of commitment to quality in every detail of their products.

Last year I wrote a trilogy concerning the waste of money on development projects in the hide and skin trade that have no result other than creating and maintaining highly paid jobs. Several knowledgeable and highly reputed readers commented in my favour in an article in the November issue of Leather International. It is very difficult to get information about projects because when I write and ask for information people immediately go on the defensive. Smile! Evaluation reports are not made public.

The government in Türkiye announced in March that VAT on leather products would be reduced to 8%, down from 18%. Legitimate leather exporters, working with official invoices, were exempt from value added tax in any case and receive Eximbank credits calculated on export values. But the reduction in VAT pleased high street and touristic leather sellers, as well as artisanal cobblers producing footwear. This will reduce their costs for finished leather by 10%.

Markendale Machinery Ltd have moved to Hindley Business Centre, Office 12, Prospect Mill, Platt Lane, Hindley, Wigan, Lancashire, WN2 3PA. New telephone and fax numbers are tel: +44 1942 526659; fax: +44 1942 526639; email: bob@leathernet.com

The 2006 SLTC Conference will take place on September 23 at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Southport.

Shareholders of UK leather producers Pittards have accepted a new restructuring plan which includes entering into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) and handing over their pension fund liabilities to the UK Government's Pension Protection Fund (PPF).

Oranje-Nassau Groep (ONG), a 100% subsidiary of Wendel Investissement, and the Carlyle Group, have signed an agreement to acquire Stahl Holdings BV from affiliates of Investcorp. The transaction is subject to approval from the competition authorities.

Members of the Cotance Council met in April under the chairmanship of Giuseppe W Peretti (Conceria Cristina) to review the state of trade. They also looked at the progress in the current WTO trade negotiations and the EU proposal for a WTO Agreement to curb export taxes (on raw materials) which was officially presented that week in Geneva.

DK Leather Corp, Bhd's wholly owned subsidiary DK-Schweizer Europe BV, plan to acquire a 20% stake in Italian automotive leather upholstery maker Salt SRL from Gavina Francesco for €600,000. DK Leather also plan to take 50% of the equity in a new company called D K-Salt SRL for €250,000. Salt SRL will take the remaining 50% in the company for the same sum.

Atlantic Leathers are an Icelandic tannery who exclusively process fishskins for use in all kinds of leathergoods from shoes, belts, bags and adornments on bags. The Atlantic Leathers team create their own designs and special effects on the leather giving it a unique look and enabling them to transform a waste product into a high fashion leather.

News from around the world is as much coloured by the onset of the new Chinese import regulations as it is by the anti-dumping measures being levied by the EU against footwear from China and Vietnam. Many have expressed their disquiet about the import tariffs which are being introduced on a sliding scale and which will, ultimately, hit the people who can least afford it: the poorly paid workers in China and Vietnam.

Vilmax, the Argentina based dye manufacturer, have introduced a new range of leather dyes known as Vilmasolid. The new range is the culmination of seven years of research and is available for all types of leather.

TRUMPLER GmbH & Co KG have recently introduced a new enzymatic soaking agent under the name Trupowet NS. The product is based on novel enzyme chemistry and exhibits optimal effectivity at neutral pH levels.

The importance of white hides in some markets has encouraged the Spanish chemicals company Quimser to develop some new products for white from retannage to fatliquoring. The latest product to come out of their Barcelona located laboratories is Sertan ELB which joins the latest developed products related to lightfastness and white colour.

Unprecedented wet and migration fastness properties are possible with Lugafast Black AN, the first reactive dye for leather which has been developed by BASF specifically for leather drum-dyeing applications. This revolutionary new dye comes after intensive research and is the subject of an 18-year patent.

Murgon Leather, Queensland, Australia, and a member of the Teys Group, were recently dealt a double blow. Firstly, the company were forced to impose water restrictions due to the drought and then their main supplier of hides closed temporarily due to damage caused to their plant by cyclone Larry. The Innisfail Meatworks was due to resume work at the end of April.

The fight against poverty in Vietnam could suffer a setback if the European Commission goes ahead with a threatened increase in dumping duties against its leather shoes. The Viet Nam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) president Nguyen Gia Thao estimated that half of the one million workers employed by footwear manufacturers would be affected and about 90,000 would lose their jobs if the tax was raised from the current 4.28% to 16.8%.

Muhammad Shafi Tanneries (Private) Limited, the flagship company of one of the biggest groups of Pakistan, have again been awarded the FPCCI Best Export Performance Trophy by the president of Pakistan, General Parvez Musharraf.

Corichem srl (Italy) and Syndicate Chemicals (Pakistan) recently announced that they have signed a deal for sole agentship in Pakistan.

&rtreturn;Massimo Pierini, employed at Stahl Europe's Arzignano facility in Italy, is the overall winner of this year's Stahl Innovation Award. Pierini's entry, a water-based in-mould coating for foamed polyurethane soles, for the 'New Product or Formulation' category. The other categories are 'Existing Product in a New Application', 'New or Modified Manufacturing Process' and 'Procedural Innovation'.The scheme attracted twenty three entries from Europe, India, Brazil and Asia.

A survey of investment-related costs in Asia carried out by the Japanese External Trade Organisation (JETRO) has revealed that Vietnam has an overall cost advantage as compared with other countries in the region, according to the Vietnamese News Agency. Vietnam has considerable potential because it has a highly skilled workforce and moderate wage levels, said a JETRO official. The average rate of corporate income tax of 28% in Vietnam last year was lower than the regional average of 30%.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that the production of leather and leather products in Ukraine in the first five months of this year was 16.5% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, industrial output in Ukraine in the five-month period was 2.4% higher year-on-year.

The Turkmen government's website reports that companies from Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Jordan are currently exporting leathergoods to Turkmenistan. The report noted that Turkmen legislation gives full rights to foreign companies to sell their products on the Turkmen market.

Slovenia's Statistical Office reports that the total weight of cattle slaughtered in Slovenia in April was 11.6% higher than in the same month last year.

Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, says that agreements have been signed for state loans to open new livestock farms, and modernise existing farms, worth US$1.85 billion, according to the Interfax news agency.

Statistics Norway reports that Norway exported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth US$45 million in the first five months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 16.4%.

Kyrgyzstan's National Statistics Committee reports that Kyrgyzstan exported leather and leather products worth US$1.85 million in the first two months of this year, compared with US$1.28 million in the same period in 2005, according to the Interfax news agency. Imports of the same types of commodities in January and February were worth US$271,100, as against US$163,000 in the same two months last year

The UKLF held their first dinner under their new name at the impressive Leathersellers Hall in the City of London on June 8. Jonathan Muirhead, the new president, said he delighted to see so many representatives of the industry and their guests. 'This dinner is the first which has been held under our organisation's new name, UK Leather Federation. UKLF is a direct descendant of the British Leather Federation whose inaugural meeting was held in 1908 in this same place.'

The Czech Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in the Czech Republic in the first four months of this year was 9.1% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, overall industrial output in the Czech Republic in the January to April period was 12.2% higher year-on-year.

Danish shoemaker ECCO is investing 350 million baht (US$9.1million) on construction of a new global distribution centre including installation of

At the end of May, Stahl Asia Pte Ltd were among fifty Singapore companies to be presented with Global Trader Certificates acknowledging the company's status as a Global Trader under the country's International Enterprise (IE) agency Global Trader Programme (GTP). The certificate marking the award was presented to Mr Rodney Hammond, Managing Director, by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang.

Thailand's leathergoods industry could be hurt by an influx of Korean goods under a free trade pact, according to David Chiu, president of the Thai Leather Goods Association. Bangkok is continuing to negotiate with the Seoul government after refusing to sign an ASEAN-Korea trade pact last month because of Korea's resistance to opening up its rice market. The agreement aims to liberalise trade between Korea and the ten-nation ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) bloc by 2010 as part of plans for a wider regional free trade pact. Chiu said however, that a more moderate Thailand-South Korean free trade agreement seemed to be nearing a conclusion quietly.

Macedonia's State Statistical Office reports that the average gross monthly wage in Macedonia's leather industry in the first quarter of this year was 33.7% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, the annual increase in the average monthly wage in Macedonia's manufacturing sector as a whole was 1.9%.

The European Union could be about to reconsider the anti-dumping system currently in place against shoes imported from Vietnam and China because of the effect the system is having on European companies. EU manufacturers and retailers that produce in Asia have claimed that the EU duties are affecting their business. The duties began at 4.2% in April but increased in June to as much as 16.8%. The Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso) claims that up to 90,000 Vietnamese workers could lose their jobs.

There was an average of 6.47 million head of cattle on farms in Uzbekistan in the first quarter of this year, a slightly higher figure than in the same period in 2005, according to UzReport.

The General Meeting of UNIC (Italian National Union for the Tanning Industry) was held on June 16 at the Hotel Palace in Viareggio. The main players in the Italian and European tanning sector were present, alongside a large number of manufacturers in the leather sector and political figures. The President of the Veneto Region, Giancarlo Galan, was expected to attend.

President Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan has said that the exemption of livestock breeders from all types of taxes will be continued until at least 2016, according to the Turkmen government's website. President Niyazov said that the performance of the livestock sector in Turkmenistan still needs to be improved.

Stahl Asia have used the recent Guangzhou Shoe and Leathergoods Fair to launch a new marketing initiative based on their symposium theme 'Fashion Future' and a slogan to bring their emphasis on fashion as their focus, 'Fashioning Your Future'. The theme 'Fashion Future' and the slogan 'Fashioning Your Future' will be used in the coming months to link all presentations and fashion aids produced by Stahl Asia for their customers throughout the region.

Chief executive Dr Ron Whittaker described 2005 as a year of major success for SATRA at the annual general meeting. SATRA's overall annual income exceeded £8 million for the first time in 2005 and led chief executive Dr Ron Whittaker to identify it as their most successful year yet.

Qatar's Planning Council reports that Qatar imported 2.90 million kilos of leather products worth US$16.5 million in 2005. Qatar exported 818,050 kilos of raw livestock hides and skins, and leather, worth US$1.21 million last year.

Mongolia's National Statistics Office reports that Mongolia exported livestock hides and skins, and leather and leather products, worth US$101,200 in the first two months of this year, as compared with $178,700 in the same period in 2005. Mongolia imported the same types of commodities worth $3.75 million in January and February, as against $2.91 million in the same period last year.

Kyrgyzstan's National Statistics Committee reports that Kyrgyzstan produced 2.16 million square decimetres of chrome-tanned leather products in the first quarter of this year, as compared with 1.76 million square decimetres in the same period in 2005, according to the Interfax news agency. Production of 'stiff leather products' totalled only 75,900 square decimetres, as against 215,800 square decimetres in the first quarter of 2005.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that the number of cattle slaughtered in Ireland in the first four months of this year was 17.4% higher than in the same period in 2005. A total of 134,900 head of cattle were slaughtered in Ireland in April this year.

The Istanbul Leather Fair, IDF, will now be organised by Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions Organization Inc. in cooperation with Arti-F Organizations under the support of the highest establishment of the Turkish leather sector, the Turkish Leather Foundation (TÜRDEV). The 4th Istanbul Leather Fair will be held in Tüyap Beylikdüzü Fair, Convention and Congress Centre from December 7-9, 2006.

The Medina-Z furniture producer will shortly begin the production of leather furniture at a factory in Dombovar in Hungary, according to the Interfax news agency. A total of 50 people will work at the new 'leather plant' at the factory.

Croatia's Central Statistics Bureau reports that Croatia exported leather and leather products worth US$39.4 million in the first four months of this year, as compared with $30.5 million in the same period in 2005. Croatia imported the same types of commodities worth $48.6 million in the January to April period, as against $44.5 million in the corresponding period last year.

Macedonia's State Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Macedonia in the first four months of this year was 15.9% lower than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, the annual fall in industrial output in Macedonia in the January to April period was 0.9%.

DyStar, leading suppliers of products and services for the textile industry, have announced their intention to acquire the business activities of the Boehme Group. The agreement has been signed and the deal should be completed in 6-8 weeks once all contractual conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled. Financial details have not been disclosed.

SIC Group, organisers of the biannual Le Cuir A Paris, have released their trend forecast for the winter 2007/08 season.

The July edition of Leather International magazine will feature the industry's best and most famous guide to the latest leather chemicals. For the next edition will include the renowned 'What's New in Leather Chemicals 2006/07' supplement.

The European Commission has raised anti-dumping duty on Vietnamese leather-upper shoes exported to the European Union, effective June 2.

Concerns have been raised by the Australian Beef Association about reports from Meat and Livestock Australia that 38 million National Livestock Identification System tags have now been registered.

The Karas Abattoir and Tannery (KAT) is to cut between 100 and 150 jobs. The move comes as part of a restructuring plan necessitated by the planned closure of its ostrich slaughtering plant 20 km south of Keetmanshoop. Goats and sheep are also slaughtered at the abattoir.

Hüni have set up a subsidiary company in partnership with SystemHaus software solutions for tanneries and former competitor ITI Technology who specialise in tannery process controls. Located in Novo Hamburgo, the new company can now offer immediate after-sales service to Hüni customers in Brazil and the rest of South America. The engineering team will offer immediate assistance to both the Hüni Americas sales and engineering teams.

Istanbul Shoe Fashion 2006 (Winter) will be held between July 6-9, 2006 at Tüyap Fair, Convention and Congress Center, Beylikdüzü, Istanbul, Türkiye. The exhibition is organised by Tuyap Fairs and Exhibitions in cooperation with ART International Fair Organisation and supported by the IAYSAD Association of Shoe Manufacturers Supply Industrialists of Istanbul.

Sara Lee (Thailand) Ltd, distributors of Kiwi shoe-care products, is launching three new women's products to increase the proportion of their female customers to 10% from less than 1% now. General manager Chooi Khim Tan said about 80% of Kiwi customers were men and almost 20% were school children.

Following a successful start in March 2006, the next GLS - International Event for Leather Goods & More, taking place from 15 to 17 September 2006, will be introducing a new hall layout, an optimised visitor guidance system, an innovative design concept and a creative supplementary program. Messe Düsseldorf are further pursuing their goal of continuing to develop the GLS concept and to respond to the changing needs of the international leather goods markets. In order to ensure an even distribution of guests across all days of the event and to better tie the show into the international trade fair calendar, GLS will now take place concurrently with GDS, from Friday to Sunday.

They are well known for high revs and fast living, but members of the Hell's Angel motorcycle club don't usually find themselves being used as inspiration for cutting-edge catwalk collections. All that is about to change thanks to Kingston University's fashion student Lili Golmohammadi. She is getting set to unveil the softer side of biker chicks at the Kingston University fashion show being held at the Banqueting House in London's Whitehall on Monday 12 June.

The Leather Institute in New Jersey specialises in leather care for the aviation industry. They offer leather care classes, products and training and have customers such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, JetBlue, Cessna, Bombardier and many more.

Exciting new attractions and sponsors are lining up for the second Festival of Leather, being held at Capel Manor College, Enfield, UK on July 1-2, 2006.

According to various reports, the South Korean government will legalise US beef shipments from June 7, when it will publish a list of acceptable beef plants for boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age. Before the market closed in 2003, Korean consumers paid top dollar for boned short ribs, which accounted for a significant portion of all beef exports. The US maintains that most bones present no risk to human health but so far the South Korean government has not responded favourably.

Swift & Co, Greeley, Colorado, have completed the sale of their non-fed cattle business to Canadian processor XL Foods Inc. The new business, which includes Swift's former plant in Nampa, Idaho, will now operate as XL Four Star Beef Inc.

The creation of an International Leather Forum was proposed by Marc Folachier during round table discussions at the recent IULTCS Eurocongress in Istanbul. Folachier, president (and also head of CTC France) said that the leather industry had lost a lot of markets which had not been replaced. He referred particularly to running shoes, ski boots and firemen's jackets which were traditionally made of leather and are no longer. For this reason, he said the industry needed to be more creative.

On release of the company's first quarter results, Pasquale Natuzzi, chairman and chief executive officer, commented: 'After a difficult year in which the company reported net losses for the first time ever, the company is back to profitability as a result of the restructuring actions we have been implementing since June 2005 - namely, a more efficient cost management and the closing of non-performing retail units - together with more favourable currency conditions in the period'. He added 'First quarter 2006 results confirmed the recovery in sales, particularly consistent in Europe, although the economic and currency scenario in which the company has been operating remains unfavourable as a whole.'

Elton Hurlow of Buckman Laboratories attended the IULTCS Eurocongress in Istanbul to update delegates on the next IULTCS Congress (XXIX) being held at the J W Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC, USA, from June 20-24, 2007, in conjunction with the 103rd ALCA annual meeting. The last time the international congress was held in Washington was in August 1961 (VII). There will be two keynote addresses, the John Arthur Wilson Memorial Lecture (ALCA) and the Heidemann Collagen Lecture (IULTCS).

International Leather Week (Sipiel), the footwear and leather goods trade event organised by IFEMA at Feria de Madrid, will stage its nineteenth edition between 29th September and 1st October next, once again taking place between Friday and Sunday, instead of between Thursday and Saturday, as has been the case at the last two editions. This return to Sipiel's habitual dates is the result of the decision taken by the Organizing Committee approximately a year ago At that time is was decided that the dates of the event would be changed over two editions (Thursday to Saturday), so that the event's organisers could analyse the impact of the new dates and decide whether to stick to them or return to the traditional dates.

Global specialty chemicals supplier Cognis achieved net external sales of €875 million in the first three months of 2006. This represents a 12.1% increase on the same period of 2005. Adjusted EBITDA was up 17.4% at €113 million, and the company's profit margin increased to 12.9%.

Amidst the hottest fashion happenings around the globe in September this year, the Bangkok International Fashion Fair (BIFF) and Bangkok International Leather Fair (BIL) will again be organized by the Thai government's Department of Export Promotion (DEP). The events which take place from September 27 - October 1, will showcase the latest trends, products and services in apparel, accessory and tannery fashion.

The British Glove Association, in collaboration with the worshipful Company of Glovers, has announced the winners of its 2006 annual student glove design competition. They are as follows:

The All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai events will be held September 5 - 7, 2006 in Shanghai.

Audited buyer attendance figures have been released for the recent APLF -Materials, Manufacturing and Technology (MMT) exhibition, held in Hong Kong from March 28 - 31, 2006.

The All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai will be held on September 5-7 2006 in Shanghai.

The United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reports that the United States exported bovine leather worth US$503,106 to Germany in the first quarter of this year, as compared with US$604,800 in the same period in 2005. American bovine leather exports to Germany were worth US$3.35 million last year.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported raw hides and skins, and leather and leather products, worth US$53.8 million in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 13.6%. Ukrainian imports of the same types of commodities in the same period were 11.7% higher year-on-year at US$27.6 million. Ukraine first quarter foreign trade

Germany's TV Rheinland Group has opened a new international standard testing laboratory at the Quang Trung Software Park in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the Vietnamese News Agency. The laboratory will test a wide range of products, including leather, thereby helping local manufacturers to produce to international standards.

Statistics New Zealand reports that New Zealand exported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth NZ$410 million (US$261 million) in the twelve months to the end of April this year. This figure was 18.5% lower year-on-year.

LANXESS plan to divest their Textile Processing Chemicals business unit. 'Recent global market developments mean that further action is needed with regard to this business', said LANXESS management board chairman Dr Axel C. Heitmann at the company's annual stockholders' meeting in Düsseldorf. 'The management board has therefore decided to divest these activities. We are confident that we will complete this process by the end of the year.'

Hungary's Central Statistical Office reports that the number of cattle on farms in Hungary on April 1 was 700,000, as compared with 721,000 on the same date in 2005.

Croatia's Central Statistics Bureau reports that the production of leather and leather products in Croatia in the first four months of this year was 11.8% higher than in the same period in 2005. In comparison, industrial output in Croatia in the January to April period was 3.7% higher year-on-year.

Croatia's Central Statistics Bureau reports that 33,793 head of cattle of a total weight of 7,050 tonnes were slaughtered at abattoirs in Croatia in the first quarter of this year, respectively 40% and 47% more than in the same period last year.

Albania's National Statistics Institute reports that Albania imported leather and leather products worth US$15.7 million in the first quarter of this year, compared with US$13.1 million in the same period in 2005. Albanian exports of the same types of commodities in this year's first quarter were worth US$3.96 million, as against US$3.37 million in the corresponding period last year.

Prime Tanning Corporation of St Joseph, the largest wet-blue facility in the US, have been chosen as Missouri's top agricultural exporter for 2005. The company were picked from more than 600 Missouri business involved in exporting agricultural products.

EBITDA pre exceptionals improved by LANXESS AG got off to a good start in fiscal 2006, with year-on-year growth in earnings (EBITDA pre exceptionals) in double digits for the period from January to March, 2006. In what is traditionally the strongest quarter of the year, EBITDA pre exceptionals rose 13.3% to 205 million euros in the first quarter of 2006 (181 million euros a year earlier) and the EBITDA margin reached 11.2% (10.5%) with sales up 6.2% to 1,836 million euros (1,729 million). Net income amounted to 82 million euros (70 million) with strong growth in Asia. 640-680 million euro EBITDA pre exceptionals are expected for 2006. All the operating segments contributed to sales growth.

The second IULTCS Eurocongress took place in Istanbul, Turkey, in the last week of May and was a testament to skilful management and generous hospitality. If Detek, the Turkish association responsible for organising the conference, viewed the event as a practice run before the IULTCS Congress due to take place there in 2013, they more than succeeded. It was much appreciated that the organisers did their best to keep speakers to their allotted timetable (this was not always easy) and another notable achievement was that all the presentations were given in English.

Gerber Technology have introduced Pivex cutting technology designed to increase cutting speed for intricate shapes while improving cut quality. This innovative reciprocating knife technology features the ability to change direction at high rates of speed. The first GERBERcutter to integrate Pivex cutting technology will be the Taurus system, the leading full-hide leather cutter in the industry.

GDS are committed to providing exhibitors and visitors alike with more added value to their participation. Following a damaging clash of dates with Micam at the last edition they are back with more user friendly timing and extra benefits, along with new themed areas, concentrated Trend Spots, fun events and extraordinary art highlights. The 102nd event will take place in Düsseldorf from September 15-17.

BASF are raising the prices for leather chemicals worldwide. These increases are necessary because of higher energy costs and high raw material costs, which are still rising.

Many tanners in Brazil feel that they are being consistently failed by the government. According to Jose Waldir Dilkin, Curtume Berghan: 'The leather sector in Brazil does not have any political help.'