Cotance have contributed to a project sponsored by the European Commission and managed by the EACI for the development of sector guides on Intellectual Property for operators in the leather, leathergoods and footwear industries.

CTC have launched a new book entitled ‘Lexique Technique de la Maroquinerie’. This book is the first bilingual lexicon for leathergoods terms focused around the essential technical terms used by professionals.

India’s Council for Leather Exports, the Indian Consulate and NML International are hosting 23 of India’s leading leather apparel and accessory manufacturers for a two-day mini-exhibition in New York next week. The event entitled Know Leather/Now India will showcase their products on January 18-19 at The Westin hotel, New York in Times Square.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009. I realize that this is a somewhat optimistic hope but I really do believe in the power of positive thought. It is also the time for me to say a fond farewell. After 34 years with LEATHER International I am about to retire and this will be the last edition of the magazine that will bear my name as editor.

In celebration of 100 years of excellence in leather education, The University of Northampton are hosting a prestigious banquet and awards ceremony in Northampton during the weekend of July 17-19, 2009.

Effective January 1, 2009, Dr C. Csaki retired and Dr W. Kleinloh was nominated as new CEO of the TFL Goup and chairman of the management board.

Soraco have prepared and printed a new catalogue-guide in Italian and English for laboratory appliances and test instruments for leather. It is small, very easy to look through but a complete guide that presents the most important instruments (almost 50) for physical tests on leather: tensile strength, abrasion, flexion etc.

The Department of Justice's lawsuit against JBS has been delayed a second time. The hearing is now set for March 6, 2009, in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. It was originally scheduled for January 16, but then delayed until January 29.

Peter Jessop retired at the end of 2008 after a having a valuable career with Stahl which spanned 32 years and took him to many countries producing leather. During this time he met and made friends with customers all over the world as he sought to develop and encourage the use of Stahl products and technology within the leather industry.

This international conference, scheduled to take place the day before the Asia Pacific Leather Fair in Hong Kong on the afternoon of March 30, 2009, is an ideal event for those selling leather, supplying to the leather industry or buying leather products and footwear in Asia.

Clariant have announced sales of CHF8.1 billion for the full year
 2008 compared to CHF8.5 billion in 2007. This translates into a 1%
 growth in local currency and a 5% decline in CHF. Full year guidance
 on EBIT and cash flow was met with an operating margin before 
exceptionals in the range of 6.5% to 6.8% and a cash flow from 
operations of approximately CHF400 million.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federal Office of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2008 was 4.7% higher than in 2007.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported leather and leather products worth US$345 million in the first eleven months of 2008, a year-on-year decrease of 4.3%.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Croatia in 2008 was 4.4% higher than in 2007.

Turkey's State Statistics Institute reports that Turkey's leather industry was operating at 58.6% of its total production capacity in December 2008, compared with 64.8% of capacity in December 2007.

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the average monthly wage in Serbia's leather industry in 2008 was US$283, 18.2% higher than in 2007.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that the production of leather and leather products in Ukraine in 2008 was 5.1% higher than in 2007.

Hungary's Central Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Hungary in the first eleven months of 2008 was 6.7% higher than in the same period in 2007.

The Czech Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in the Czech Republic in the first eleven months of 2008 was 6.7% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Poland's Central Statistical Office reports that the average price of leather and leather products sold by manufacturers in Poland in the first ten months of 2008 was 2.7% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the number of employees in Croatia's leather industry in November 2008 was 1.9% lower than in October and 5.3% lower than in November 2007. 

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Ireland in November was 10.5% lower than in the same month in 2007.

The requirements for shoe upper leathers in general are steadily increasing and so for the corrected grain leathers as well. Clariant´s very well established range of finishing products offers impregnation resins especially developed for today's quality expectations and also suitable auxiliaries to cover all kind of leathers.

Huub van Beijeren, Stahl Holdings' CEO, formally inaugurated Stahl Pakistan Private Limited at a ceremony held on November 25, 2008, attended by 250 customers.

Wolverine World Wide began the second phase of their restructuring plan with the expectation of 450 job cuts and the closure of their Michigan tannery.

Elmo Leather decided on December 12, 2008, to reconstruct and refinance the company with support of banks and suppliers and in compliance with the Swedish law. The reason was the dramatic decrease of more than 50% in incoming orders from August compared with last year.



Satra Technology Centre UK is working in partnership with the Hong Kong Standards and Testing Centre (STC) to help raise quality, efficiency and speed in Far East manufacture.

According to the BBC website, UK retailers Land of Leather have called in administrators after attempts to sell the firm and raise extra money failed. The company said they had made every effort to cut costs but that market conditions remained tough and January sales had been ‘very disappointing'.

The India International Leather Fair (IILF) will be held in the Trade Center in Chennai, Tamil Nadu province, India, from January 31 to February 3, 2009. This year the company is focusing on environment-friendly products and processes. Highlights are presentations of the new formaldehyde-free Syntan series, the new soft polymers, and the next generation of water-repellent systems with products such as Densodrin EP.

Branko Azeski, head of the Macedonian Economic Chamber, has told SeeNews that Macedonia's leather industry is among the industries worst hit by the global economic crisis, which is resulting in some companies halting production and laying off workers. 

The European Union removed Vietnamese footwear from the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) as of the start of this year, according to the Vietnamese News Agency.

Spain's National Statistics Institute reports that the production of leather and leather products in Spain in November 2008 was 17.1% lower than in the same month in 2007.

Slovakia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Slovakia in the first eleven months of 2008 was 19.7% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Statistics South Africa reports that the production of leather and leather products in South Africa in November was 8.8% higher than in October and 11.2% lower than in November 2007.

Israel's Central Statistics Bureau reports that Israel imported leather and leather products worth US$131 million in the first eleven months of 2008, compared with US$117 million in the same period in 2007.

Albania's National Statistics Institute reports that Albania imported leather and leather products worth US$69 million in the first eleven months of 2008, compared with imports worth US$78 million in the same period in 2007.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that Croatia exported leather and leather products worth US$321 million in the first eleven months of 2008, a year-on-year increase of 2.8%.

Turkey's State Statistics Institute reports that Turkey exported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth US$115 million in the first eleven months of 2008, compared with US$112 million in the same period in 2007.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that leather and leather products' sales in Ukraine were worth US$229 million in the first eleven months of 2008, compared with US$174 million in the same period in 2007.

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Serbia in the first eleven months of 2008 was 4% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Cattle was the second most valuable commodity exported by Poland to Uzbekistan in the first ten months of 2008, according to UzReport, citing Polish statistical sources. Cattle accounted for close to 13% of Polish exports to the Central Asian country.

Macedonia's State Statistical Office has reported that the production of leather and leather products in Macedonia in the first eleven months of this year was 8.7% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that Ireland exported leather and leather products worth E16.1 million in the first nine months of this year, compared with E29.0 million in the same period in 2007.

A little over a year ago during the ILF meeting in Paris there was discussion about the need for improved positive and crisis communication within and from the leather industry on technical issues and topics of common interest and concern.

On November 24, 2008, the sales team of TFL Italy in Montebello organized a workshop for their local wet-end and beamhouse customers on the topic ‘Products and technologies for the reduction of chloride, sulfate and chrome - an answer to the latest local regulations'.