Stahl continue to expand their presence in India with the recent opening of a new Applications Laboratory in Kolkata. The laboratory is the first to open in the new Banthala leather complex, where it is situated alongside the New Horizons tannery, and is fully equipped to process leathers from wet-blue to finishing and for the application of aftercare products for leathergoods.
The laboratory was opened by Tim Amos and Chandan Basu, Managing Directors of Stahl India and New Horizons respectively. Many of Stahl’s customers and local distributors were present. The opening ceremony was preceded by an ‘open house’ when tanners could walk around the laboratory and talk to Stahl staff while viewing the facilities. On display was a specially-made collection of the latest fashion leathers for shoe uppers, leathergoods, garments and upholstery which created considerable interest among visitors.
The Kolkata laboratory will allow local Stahl technicians to provide a faster response time in producing samples and solving customer problems in the area. Customers will be encouraged to visit the laboratory to see the latest fashion effects and new products, many of which will have been manufactured to the most demanding international standards at the plant in Ranipet which conforms to the latest safety, health and environmental standards worldwide.
Stahl have had an important presence in Kolkata for almost forty years and feel strongly that the new Banthala area will create a resurgence of Kolkata as a major player in the Indian leather industry as it was in the 1970s and 80s. The company’s association with New Horizons also has a long history going back for over thirty years.
