In an exclusive interview with Leather International Bülent Hazer, president of the International Council of Tanners (ICT), outlines his strategy to take the organisation forward.

Heim Leather Chem GmbH are a very young company with a very old history. The current owner and managing director Klaus Freund can trace the family business back to his grandfather Franz Heim who started the original Heim Lederchemie company in 1948. His father took over the running of the company but sold out to Rotta when he was 70 years old.

In order to provide better service to customers, TFL Quinn India have replicated their technical and application services available in ACI, Hyderabad, by establishing technical service centres in Chennai, Kanpur, Kolkata and Vaniyambadi.

BASF are the largest chemicals manufacturing company in the world. They cover a broad spectrum of industries of which leather is only a very small part. Their Indian company differs from operations elsewhere in that the leather sector accounts for a much bigger slice of their business of their business.

Stahl India are now promoting new and wide ranging fashion concepts related to future seasons to a wider audience in all the leather production centres in India. Based on information from the Stahl Design Studio in Milan, Italy, and developments created locally, the new concepts include finishes, effects and colours as well as the ways in which these will be presented on leather and leather articles to create worldwide saleable fashion. A major roadshow attended by more than 150 people was held in Kolkata recently and forthcoming events are already planned for Kanpur and Jalandhar.

It is appropriate that a shoemaker to the rich and famous should be called Calzaturificio Star. However, the company are better known by the family name of Artioli which has provided three generations of master craftsmen, Severino, Vito and Andrea Artioli.

In 1821, Albert Smit, former captain of the Dutch merchant vessel 'De Koornzaaijer' founded the firm Handelmaatschappij A Smit & Zoon bv, now known as Smit & Zoon. While this was obviously the most crucial decision ever taken in the history of the company, in the 186 years that have passed since that day many other important decisions have had to be taken and difficult problems overcome. A great deal has changed in 186 years. Nowadays, the only mementoes of this vanished past are prints and artifacts displayed in the company's headquarters in Weesp.

Use of state-of-the-art enzymatic solutions can make the leather-making process quicker, cheaper and more efficient and result in increased yield by expanding the area and improvement of the physical qualities of finished leather. Novozymes offer a wide range of enzymatic solutions including lipases for beamhouse processes as well as new applications for re-tanning.

Historically, Flekkefjord has prospered on its natural resources. Herring fishing was the main industry of the town for many years. Indeed, in the 1750s, Flekkefjord was the most important herring export port in Norway. The unusual tidal conditions in Flekkefjord allowed ships to move in and out of the port at all times of the day.

One of the saddest things about re-reading the various issues of the magazine is seeing how many well-known names have slipped from our grasp. Of course, some are still around under different guises: Bayer as LANXESS, for example. Other long-term survivors include BASF (1865), Clayton of Chesterfield (1840), Eagle Ottawa (1865), Heusch (1850), Münzing (1830), Colomer (18th century), Andrew Muirhead & Son (1883), Pittards (1826) and Smit & Zoon (1821).

Up until 2003, TFL supplied the Indian market through a sales agent. Now, however, they decided it was time for TFL to strengthen their position in this promising market with the acquisition of the Indian finishing specialist Quinn and merge them with the overall TFL know-how and infrastructure.

BASF broke ground for a new plant in Pudong, Shanghai, on March 20, 2007. They already have one auxiliary plant in BASF Auxiliary Chemicals Company (BACC) located at the BASF Pudong site where they are producing chemicals for the whole leather process from beamhouse to finishing. The new plant will have a minimum capacity of 10,000 metric tonnes per year and will produce Basyntan, Relugan and Tamol. The new spray dryer for leather chemicals is the third one at the Pudong site.

India has a big growth potential for the tanning industry and in the finishing sector which is why it is regarded as important for TFL to have a strong position in the whole added value chain, from the beamhouse to finishing. TFL are strengthening their position in this promising market beginning with the acquisition of the Indian finishing specialist Quinn in 2003 combined with the TFL overall know-how and infrastructure.

Syn-Bios, who describe themselves as a technologically avant-garde firm, will be presenting their summer proposals at IILF. They say: 'Our excellent know-how regarding the chemical treatment of leather and hide comes from first hand experience of the real problems faced by the tanning industry.

High Fashion content will be the focus of the display by Stahl India at the Indian International Leather Fair in Chennai. Finished leathers produced in Stahl India's applications laboratories in Chennai, Kanpur and Kolkata will be based on designs produced in Stahl International's Design Studio in Milan, Italy, and illustrated in Stahl's new seasonal Trend Books, the first of which are a new addition for Stahl's staff in India.

Novozymes are in the process of setting up their fifth foreign research and development centre - in Bangalore, India. The centre will develop enzymes for local products and strengthen the company's international research projects.

Habeeb tanning company of Chennai process 5 million sq ft of bovine hides per month using 60% domestic and 40% imported hides. The tannery employs 150 people and is currently working at 80% capacity.

Forward Leather Company produce special articles in kid leather for shoe uppers. The company have two tanneries which are located in Chennai with a total capacity of one million sq ft per month. The company use Indian raw materials in the course of normal production, although in special cases imported raw materials are used. The tanneries, which employ 250 people, are currently working at 80% of capacity.

FGL International are a relatively new company but with a long history. They are the natural continuation of Figli di Guido Lapi SpA and are the product of more than 50 years of experience and quality, synthesising the results achieved by selecting elements handed down over a long period of evolution through supplying tanneries with chemical products and services with a high technology content.

Emag Ltd and their Indian agent Noble Exports in Chennai have in recent years successfully been marketing New Zealand lamb, sheep and calf skins in India. In order to keep up with the increased demand in India for bovine leather Emag and Noble will in future offer a wider range of products such as wet-blue and crust bovine hides from New Zealand.

Clariant say they are facing a challenging and growing market in India for which their key to success is their 'Enhancement of service to ensure our customers' meet their challenges of leather manufacturing in the 21st century'.

Angus ChemicaL Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, and Dow Biocides, a business unit of Dow Chemical International Pvt Limited (Dow India), will be introducing a broad selection of chemicals for leather manufacturing applications to the Indian market at the India International Leather Fair (IILF), January 31 - February 3, 2007. The portfolio includes problem-solving biocides, synthetic tanning and cross-linking agents that impart superior functionality when formulating high quality leather tanning products.