Stahl Brasil open new technology centre

Stahl Brasil have announced that their technology centre in Portão, Brazil, is now open. The opening ceremony was attended by Jeremy Scudamore, chief executive officer of Avecia and Willi Vaskovich, chief executive officer of the Stahl Group, as well as 300 guest customers. The centre will provide extensive facilities for the leather finishing, colours and tanning products, Permuthane and Novacote divisions and will act as an important focal point for local research, development and customer liaison for the Mercosur region. It is one of the most modern technology centres in the Stahl organisation and incorporates both the latest application technology and the highest standards of health and safety and the environment. The purpose-built, two storey building includes applications laboratories, physical testing facilities, offices, visitor meeting rooms, showroom and conference areas. Extensive facilities for both leather finishing and wet-end processing are incorporated. The leather applications laboratory has been divided into dry finishing and wet processing areas to ensure that both can be kept clean and contamination between the two avoided. The technology centre has been designed so that Stahl International can maintain close control over all operations from quality assurance through the development of new products and processes to the provision of customer support. With more than fifteen staff employed in the centre, they can all work in close co-operation with their counterparts in Stahl applications laboratories throughout the world.