Gulzar Firoz, chairman, Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) in a press release issued on January 6, strongly opposed the State Bank of Pakistan's decision for an increase in the mark-up rate by 0.5% for the Export Refinance Scheme (EFS) effective from January 1, 2010.

National Beef, the owners of a St Joseph, Missouri, tannery and Prime tanning are being sued by local landowners who say that allegedly toxic sludge from the tannery gave to local farmers as fertilizer has damaged their land.
As well as the two tanning companies the defendants also named in the lawsuit chromium chemicals manufacturer Elementis LTP and the Burns and McDonnell engineering firm of Kansas City, who designed the system that created the tannery’s fertilizer.

Stahl India have recently opened a new leather finish applications laboratory in Ambur, India, demonstrating the importance of the leather and shoe industries in the region.
Ambur is the fourth applications laboratory to be opened by Stahl India, the other three being at Chennai, Kanpur and Kolkata.

Despite the global recession readers and subscribers of Leather International magazine will receive an extra edition in 2010 we can reveal. We will be publishing a tenth edition of the magazine next September.

BASF will be highlighting a number of innovative and environmentally friendly products and processes at the forthcoming IILF in India. The show will take place in the southern Indian city of Chennai, January 31 to February 3, 2010. BASF will be highlighting the following ranges at the show.

Lawsuits were filed on December 17, on behalf of 24 plaintiffs against Prime Tanning Corporation of St Joseph, Missouri and three affiliated businesses over fertilizers they spread on farms in Northwest Missouri.
This is the latest set-back for National Beef Leathers the current owners of the former Prime Tanning site which have so far successfully fought-off other legal challenges earlier this year.

Dow Performance Monomers announced on December 16 that it will increase the off schedule prices for North and Latin American regions for the products listed on the chart below, effective January 1, 2010 or as contracts allow.

At the end of 2009 hide and skin trader Ernesto Moos has decided to close down his office meaning the end of the ‘Moos’ name in the international hide and skin trade, after 173 years.

According to the official administrator they have confirmed that DyStar's leather chemical buisness unit and the Geretsried production site in Germany are not included in the recent deal with Indian manufacturer and supplier Kiri Dyes & Chemicals Ltd (KDCL) which was announced on December 10.

Taiwanese owned tanning group, Tong Hong are making a significant investment in a new tanning facility in Indonesia, Leather International can reveal. The company is investing $12 million in new capital equipment and has earmarked a total of $30 million for building costs and working capital. The new tannery will produce PU coated leather and split suede for the major sports shoe brands manufacturing locally.

Operations at DyStar Textilfarben GmbH and the production at four German sites are set to continue after the company found an investor in BSE-listed Indian manufacturer and supplier Kiri Dyes & Chemicals Ltd. (KDCL). ‘We have found an investor willing to buy the operations and the sites in Frankfurt/Main, Leverkusen, Ludwigshafen and Brunsbüttel. This means that up to 800 jobs in Germany and some 2,000 worldwide may be saved’, insolvency administrator Miguel Grosser from the law firm JAFFÉ Rechtsanwälte Insolvenzverwalter and Dr Stephan Laubereau from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH announced on December 10.
However, it appears that KDCL will not be buying the Geretsried site (formerly Dr Boehme) which is where most of the company’s leather chemicals are produced.

Yeovil-based leather manufacturer, Pittards plc, producer of technically advanced leather and leather goods for sale to retailers, manufacturers and distributors, have announced on December 10, that they have exchanged conditional contracts with the government of Ethiopia for the acquisition of the Ethiopia Tannery Share Company (ETSC).

National Beef Packing have posted a 13% increase in profits this year thanks to reduced cattle purchases, lower cattle prices and other cost cutting, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Princess Royal officially opened the new marketing suite at UK based tanners and leathergoods manufacturers, Pittards on December 7. Prior to the unveiling the princess toured the tannery at the company headquarters in Yeovil, Somerset to observe the manufacture of bovine side and small skin gloving leathers which are both manufactured on the single site.

Specialty leather chemical manufacturer Buckman have been named winner of The Greater Memphis Chamber International Business Council’s 2009 Global Business Award.

The Catalonian town of Vic in Spain has one of the highest tannery concentrations in the country but has seen some of its most famous names scale back their activities this year.

Modeurop, the fashion forecast group at DSI (Das Schuhinstitut) and Clariant, the maker of colorants and chemicals for the dyeing, tanning, retanning and finishing of leather, have established an innovative, colour forecasting partnership, it was announced on December 3. This cooperation will provide tailored, reliable and consistent colour forecast to the footwear leather processing industry. It targets the entire value chain, from tanneries through to shoe manufacturers and retailers.

The India International Leather Fair (IILF), organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) from January 31 to February 3, 2010 at Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai will celebrate its 25th edition next year.

Stahl’s new Design Studio consultants, Bianco and White, have used their first presentation of a fashion colour forecast to provide Stahl with a new way of looking at colour. The ever-popular poster, is now supported by a new-look colour preview book. The number of colour groups has been reduced to four.

Following the formal commencement of insolvency proceedings on December 2, DyStar Textilfarben GmbH will continue full operations. ‘We will maintain business activities, the global supply of dyes, additives and services for the textile and leather processing industries are currently continued’, the insolvency administrator appointed by the Frankfurt District Court, Miguel Grosser from the law firm JAFFÉ Rechtsanwälte Insolvenzverwalter, has confirmed in a press statement.

Workers who lost their jobs at the Prime tanning plant in Hartland, Maine have been told that they are eligible to apply for special federal assistance.

Stahl’s strategy for the development of its Colours and Tanning Products (C&TP) division has received an extra boost in the last couple of months under the dynamic leadership of Jacques Potier. The company hope that their C&TP division will grow substantially in the coming years through a determined increase in wet-end chemical activities throughout the world.

British tanner and leather goods manufacturer Pittards are buying the Ethiopia Tannery Share Company for a total £3.8m ($5.6 million) cash it was announced on November 30