Wade appointed Porvair International sales director

Porvair International Ltd, producers of the Permair microporous leather finishing system, have appointed Colin Wade as sales director. Colin, who has been business manager of the Permair division since 1998, joined Porvair in 1996. Fifteen months ago, the company had a management buy-out and since then have been busy re-inventing themselves, in order to respond to the needs of a rapidly changing marketplace. No longer just producers of fashion finishes for a mainly European customer base, Porvair have overcome the lead time challenges of supplying their now Asian and African orientated marketplace by focusing on supplying high volume, less seasonal products and passing the savings on to their customers. The company have established a fully staffed office in Shanghai to ensure all their products, from leather finishes to printing media, can be adequately supported in the market. 'The result', says Wade, 'is a rapidly expanding order book for the first time in several years.' Managing director, Mark Littlewood said: 'Colin's expanded role brings all our leather operations under one director's control and this, together with our new operation in Shanghai, demonstrates our commitment to the leather industry worldwide.'