A few years ago the outlook for Pittards was uncertain as a black hole in the company pension fund and difficult trading conditions threatened to drag the business under. Step by step they have restructured the business, made two acquisitions and have recently received a royal visit. Martin Ricker visited their UK headquarters to see the turn around at first hand

BLC Leather Technology Centre provide an overview of the current legislation and requirements for testing the presence of mercury in leather. This article looks at mercury which is now controlled in finished leather by many major footwear brands

In times where the global economic crisis has seen increasingly fierce competition between companies in the leather industry, the search for excellence in all business segments is essential for survival. Knowing the real cost of each article produced can represent a decisive factor in the negotiation of price during the battle for orders with the competition. Thus, the calculation of real profit of each production order is essential when evaluating process performance. Reliable delivery dates can also be a powerful competitive differential, as the SystemHaus Team, discuss.

Dr Damjan Nemec, Hidroinzeniring d.o.o. Ljubljana, Slovenia, discusses current choices for the disposal of biodegradable tannery waste

The Leather Working Group (LWG) is now in its fourth year and the environmental stewardship programme has really gathered momentum. In September 2009, the US HQ of sportswear brand, New Balance hosted a two-day biannual meeting. In attendance were more than 50 delegates made up of international brands, tanners and chemical companies

By Jan-Tiest Pelckmans and Dr Campbell Page, TFL Leather Technology Ltd, Basel, Switzerland

Sustainability’ has been the buzzword in the manufacturing and retail industries for many years now but what exactly are tanners doing about it?
According to Dr Warren Bowden, environmental director of SLG Technology Limited, part of the Scottish Leather Group, many of them are ‘talking the talk’ but are they putting their money where their mouths are?

All around the world we are being encouraged to minimise waste; you may be familiar with the 3Rs – Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. And if we are to be a responsible industry we must do this; this planet of ours only has limited resources and we should be mindful of that for future generations. But what exactly is waste? In the leather industry, most of us would think of things like effluent such as spent chrome liquor. Whilst effluent is a waste of high importance to our industry and in recent years technology has made huge inroads into reducing it, waste comes in many other guises, some being more obvious than others. In this article we will briefly explore some potential forms of waste in leather manufacture and how it can be reduced.

A critical assessment in respect to the status quo and conclusions for a long-term sustainability. By Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer, vice president for product development and application, Leather business unit, LANXESS Deutschland GmbH

Formaldehyde related requirements are becoming greater challenges for the leather industry all the time. Pim Wilgenburg, product manager of wet-end chemical maker Smit & Zoon, explains the basics of the chemical and the influences on the tanning industry.

Hartmut Huber, technical manager finishing, Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH concludes his discussions on the finishing of shoe upper leathers by looking in greater detail at pre-base coats, base coats and finishing effects

Quite a lot of information has been shared concerning the upgrading of leather. The focus of this article is on shoe upper and fine leathers, but is there a difference between upgrading these leathers and upgrading in general? Yes and no! Some points and mechanisms are similar, some are special as Hartmut Huber, technical manager finishing, Clariant Produkte (Deutschland) GmbH reviews the various upgrading techniques

Now here’s a hiding to nothing. Email from my editor: ‘Name the top 10 leather scientists of all time, and write an article about them.’ Sounds easy and, on the surface, it is. Graham Lampard has a go, and is ready for the letters of incredulity!

BLC Leather Technology Centre present an overview of patent and metallic fashion finishing effects that can be seen on more and more leathers these days. Every few years patent and other highly fashionable finishes applied by foils such as metallic become heavily demanded but often present a range of technical difficulties to the tanner or finisher

Many industries in Bangladesh discharge their effluents directly and/or indirectly onto land or into small channels leading to the nearby rivers. A study of four tanneries has found that almost all are violating the set effluent standards, and polluting near by rivers, agricultural land and soil. Ashraful Alam, from the Bangladesh College of Leather Technology, suggests this is due to a lack of proper resources and commitment of the Government. He reviews the steps that have to be taken to achieve a move towards compliance of the environmental quality standards for the betterment of the environment and to reduce the impact on health

Common problems in beamhouse processing are discussed by Amanda Michel of Leather Wise

Dutch leather chemical makers, Smit & Zoon compare traditional fatliquor compositions with a new range of polymer softeners. High bath exhaustion, reduced looseness and softer leathers result

Work carried out and authored by Wolfram Scholz,1 Manuel Mena,2 Aquiles Bermudez,2 Juan Lopera2 and Ricardo Robinson2

The drive towards eco products is as topical as ever, with many suppliers of leather, retailers and brands keen to provide an eco-offering either directly or at least with some assurance of the green credentials of the product life cycle. This article, supplied by BLC – Leather Technology Centre looks at the use of chromium in tanning as part of the product life cycle

Presenting to members of the International Council of Tanners prior to the APLF in Hong Kong, Mark Chatwood, automotive manager, leather finish of Stahl Asia Pacific region based in Singapore, gave clear indications on current global trends, particularly in the automotive upholstery sector. It makes very interesting, if not always happy reading

Within Clariant`s globally launched shoe concept, the Leather Business have launched their new shades and trends for the autumn/winter 2010/11 fashion season. The latest Global Colour Card illustrates the four stylish themes: Go West, Lakeland, Locomotive and Modern Sculpture.
They have also developed innovative colour recipes and processes to satisfy specific demands of their clients by using Clariant’s dye and pigment ranges. With this service the leather specialists from Clariant provide their customers with exclusive fashion trend information well in advance of the season.
Based on the input of internationally known trend institutes and fashion specialists, Clariant unveil four fashion themes for the autumn/winter 2010/11 season:

Even with the current slump in hide and skin prices, the cost of raw materials for leather production is significant. So, the preservation of stock is still fundamental to good quality control and making a living for tanners. Yet biocides by their very nature are environmentally unfriendly. However, help may be at hand, with research into new ecofriendly brands of bacterial control.
Dr Graham Lampard reports

It is accepted in the leather industry that there are three basic types of leather finishes: aniline, semi-aniline and pigmented finished. But what is the difference between these leather types? If you ask the manufacturers or the users of leather, invariably you will get the same answer for aniline and pigmented finishes from all of them, but almost certainly there will be some confusion over what semi-aniline really is.

Henry Ford did not want his staff to ask their customers what they wanted as the answer he suspected would have been a smoother ride in a horse and cart rather than his new automobile.

In Europe in the early nineties, the implementing of ISO 9000 quality management systems in a business was considered to be a major part of the quality guarantee to customers. It took a decade before this became fully integrated into the business culture in developed economies and a similar time frame may be required in Asia.

In the Cold selection the colours were thin and muted; shades of white through to pale green and grey then onto black. This range is intended to draw attention to shape and form and create a sense of calm relaxation. The cool colours certainly are restful on the eye.

Instead of publishing fashion trends and fashion colours separately twice a year, the leather department at BASF is now presenting its trendsetting leather and fashion colours in a single brochure entitled: 'Inspirations for Leather' which is produced for the special requirements of the European market. Under the motto: 'Edition Toscana' the brochure features an assortment of modern textures, exquisite colours and excellent design.

Stahl's high level of expertise in all aspects of leather fashion has recently been enhanced by opening a Design Studio in Milan, Italy. Here a fashion team not only dreams but also transforms these conceptual ideas into both commercial and avant-garde products that are used in high quality leather articles.

The Genuine Italian Vegetable-Tanned Leather Consortium was founded on October 17, 1994, by eleven companies from the tanning region which nestles between Pisa and Florence. Brought together by their dedication to the production of high quality, natural and long lasting leather, the consortium aims to raise consumer awareness of the veg tanning process which they describe as 'a perfect marriage of natural quality, tradition and advanced technology.'

The latest Fashion Up! comes with four fresh seasonal statements from Clariant's Leather Business. The latest forecast for spring-summer 2008 allows tanners to be one step ahead when it comes to leather fashion. The Group's innovative fashion package includes four trendsetting routes to follow: 'Pure and Simple', 'Fashion Rebellion', 'Clean Lines' and 'Cool Luxe'.

When traditional English shoemakers Loake were granted a prestigious Royal Warrant of Appointment to the Queen earlier this year, some were a little surprised. No one questioned that the fifth-generation family firm merited the award, they had just assumed they would already have royal approval.

Discreet & Bucolic

Discreet exalts traditional craftsmanship to give new value to modernity and adopts a new relaxed attitude which combines charm and modesty with creativity. Bucolic sees a return to high quality basics, timeless classics and reinvents fashion that is easy to wear but sophisticated. In town or country, they lunch around a futuristic kitchen table made from eternal materials and add a dash of hot ketchup to their steamed organic vegetables.

Suite

This trend is all about luxury

The world of personal luxury is warm and harmonious with intimate attention to objects that reveal their quality in terms of time. The luxury of the time taken to create them and the satisfaction of the experience of their ripening through use. The luxury of the cult of care, a kind of generous attention to those investment pieces that reflect discernment, accomplishment and status. Excellent materials and impeccable craftsmanship produce the icons of timeless class. Timeless beauty in a composition that is rich and modern. The importance of volumes and new forms in soft and lightweight materials, the same tones in different rhythms. A suite of proposals, a dance both classic and contemporary. Classic treatments are presented in new lightweights, with soft draping handle

The atmosphere is bright and clear when spread over the latter part of the year [2006] in the environment of Italian tanning. The great fashion houses and the celebrated brand names are seemingly lengthening their forecasts for orders, granting themselves more consistent organisation and foreseeing an extended period of work.

In association with Italian designers Carmen Rimoldi and Sergio Belloni, TFL have released their new Colour Trends & Fashion Inspirations catalogue for leather for the autumn/winter season 2008-09, 21 months in advance of the retail season.

The next meeting of the International Council of Tanners (ICT) will be held, as in recent years, the day before the APLF opens in Hong Kong. The meeting takes place in the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre in the morning of Tuesday, March 27, 2007.

Introduction

On the strength of an initial feasibility study, BLC was selected to be the main process consultant. Using the in-house industrial experience at BLC, the critical aspects of the feasibility study were combined with the needs of the client to make the first or 'conceptual' design.

Total exports of leather manufactured goods, including leather garments, leather gloves, and other items made from leather, stood at $261.7 million during the first six months of the current fiscal year (July 2006 - June 2007) as compared to $378.7 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The delay in implementing the Dhaka Tannery Estate Project (DTEP) poses a threat to the Buriganga River and millions of residents in the western part of the capital. With a total of 195 acres of land, the Hazaribagh Tannery Relocation Project (HTRP) will eventually have an annual production capacity of 74,000 tonnes of leathergoods.

Presenting SAMA's 42nd annual state of the economy report for 2005 to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah in Riyadh, its governor, Hamad Al-Sayari, emphasised the growing strength of the Saudi economy and noted increasing investment in all vital sectors.