This week chemical company Stahl opened a new centre of excellence in Léon, Mexico. The center will focus on leather chemicals for various industries.
"It will enable us to meet the needs of the automotive, home furnishing and fashion industry as well as the needs of leather goods tanneries. We can provide solutions for the entire production process from raw hides to finish and aftercare," Saúl Rios, Latin America Manager Stahl explains. At the centre Stahl will conduct key customer trials that serve as a base for application development of new solutions.
"We are constantly expanding our global presence to stay ahead of our competitors. The decision to open this centre is fully in line with our position as industry leader in the leather segment and our growth strategy," says Huub van Beijeren, CEO of Stahl.
"Our new centre of excellence enables us to serve the growing automotive leather industry even better as well as our current shoe leather customers. By literally working close to our customers, we can provide tailor-made solutions and help them to grow their business", Rios adds.
At the centre, Stahl will show their partners and OEMs how they can benefit from the extensive portfolio of leather chemicals to give car interiors, home interior and fashion items a durable and luxurious appearance.
State-of-the-art testing
The centre is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery to cater to customer’ needs.
"We can for instance reproduce all the automotive and shoe leather productions conditions inside a controlled environment. It also includes one of the most complete testing labs in the continent," Ríos explains. "Due to our thorough in-house testing, we are able to develop the new products our customers are looking for. Think of technologies minimizing the weight of leather car seats whilst maintaining full thickness, look and feel. Or Stahl EasyWhite Tan™, our sustainable tanning system creating high-quality leather without compromising on usability and looks."
Global presence
As expert in leather chemicals, Stahl helps customers meet all their design needs and wishes. In addition to the new centre in Mexico, the company has several centres of excellence covering nearly every continent. These are based in China, the US and the Netherlands. Furthermore, Stahl operates numerous supporting application labs for physical and application testing throughout the world.