It has been a couple of years, that I have been saying that the international organisations that are supposed to represent our trade are doing little or nothing. That is not only my opinion, but many share this view, although few say so, but most show their disappointment by withdrawing from associations or withholding contributions to associations. If I remember well I mentioned the good-old-boys clubs which are convening once in a while to discuss matters of interest in one of my columns a couple of years ago.

The 26th edition of the APLF got underway today at the HKCEC in Hong Kong. Speaking at the opening press conference APLF show director, Michael Duck said the mood in the leather industry, particularly in Asia was much better than last year and that everyone was more optimistic.

The South African Skin Hide and Leather Association (SHALC) have decided to resume the promotion of genuine leather. After a gap of almost twenty years, active generic promotion of genuine leather and the registered Leather Mark is back on the agenda, according to Colin Gerrans, SHALC chairman.

The China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) has clarified the position of the Chinese government towards the development of the nations tanning industry. There are approximately 700 tanneries operating in the country which are considered to be medium and large sized operations which have adequate pollution control and turn over more than 5 million RMB (US$732,000) a year.

Andrew Muirhead, manufacturers of upholstery leather and part of the Scottish Leather Group, have completed work on their recently acquired additional premises, adjacent to its existing factory in the east end of Glasgow. The new 10,000 sq ft premises will be accessed through a service yard at the rear of the original factory.

More than 300 consumers who suffered toxic burns from sofas bought from Land of Leather will not receive compensation, the High Court has ruled. The decision at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on March 18 follows months of legal discussions with the defunct retailer's insurers, Zurich.

DyStar have reached agreement to use the production plants in Leverkusen and Brunsbüttel in Germany and will restart production at these sites in March.

The New England Tanners Club have announced that they will be hosting an education seminar, which will take place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on April 30. They have speakers from Clarks North America, Environmental Resource Management and the United States Hide, Skin and Leather Association. The seminar will also include a discussion on the Leather Working Group and restricted substance legislation management. Drinks and a dinner will follow the event. Cost is $35 per head. More information will be posted on the club website www.newenglandtannersclub.com

Clariant, a leader in supply of chemicals and services to the leather industry, launched on March 15 a new Aqualen topcoat system that meets the demand of leather upholstery and shoe manufacturers for high aesthetic qualities and pleasant feel with durability.

The APLF takes place in Hong Kong at the end of this month (March 29-31) and it is positioning itself as a leading Asian platform for leather in fashion. Despite the growth of other shows such as Fashion Access and Prime Source under the APLF umbrella, the leather and leather supply sector is still the largest exhibitor group at the show.

The China Leather Industry association have told Leather International that it is now official policy to locate new tanneries in the country to specialised tanning clusters as it aims to tighten up the regulations to build new sites.

Specialty chemicals group Lanxess are focusing on optimising their top coat systems, especially those used for automotive leathers, and on expanding their market share. Lanxess’s Leather (LEA) business unit have invested in new technologies and has now purchased a new type of rollercoating machine for its technology centre in Leverkusen. Michael Franken, head of finishing in LEA’s product development application section, comments: ‘There is an increasing demand for new, environment-friendly processes for applying leather finishes and other coatings. We have therefore invested in product development so that we can play an active part in this trend.’

Construction at the proposed Fujian tanning cluster in South Eastern China came to an abrupt halt last Autumn after the local authorities in the Fujian province froze further construction and withdrew investment last Autumn despiet the fact that construction of the new tannery cluster and central treatment plant had already begun. The local government in Fuijan stopped construction and said that they wanted to use the land to attract high-tech companies, particularly from nearby Taiwan.

The Corium club an alumni of past and present students from the British School of Leather Technology in Northampton, UK will be hosting three social events in March and April in Northampton, Hong Kong and in Scotland. Details are as follows:

National Beef Leathers have announced that they are to invest around $20 million to upgrade the former Prime Tanning site in St Joseph, Missouri. The tannery employs 100 people.

The 26th edition of APLF- Materials Manufacturing & Technology (APLF - MM&T) edition will be held this month in Hong Kong and will focus on fashion and a strong platform for the strong asian markets, particularly China.

Turkish leather finish chemical specialists, Sarchem will be celebrating 15 years in business this year and have recently expanded their R&D and production facilities at their headquarters in Tuzla. Capacity will increase by 20% after the recent investment.

Two London based fashion students, from the London College of Fashion have used leather at the centre of their fashion collections. The winner of the MA Design award was given to Sarah Jane Williams whose leather handmade bags are absolutely exquisite. Briana Smith another student also used novel applications of leather in her collection. The leather used throughout Williams collection was sponsored by Roy Winnard of Metropolitan Leather Ltd. Details and pictures from both collections are as follows:

Stahl, the speciality chemicals group, which includes leather chemicals, have completed a financial restructuring, with unanimous consent from major lenders as well as hedge fund counterparts for its debt-for-equity offering.

Former Leather International editor, Robert Higham was presented with an award for his contribution to journalism in the leather industry. The award which was originally announced during the British School of Leather Technology (BSLT) centenary last June was presented by Dr Mark Wilkinson (right) associate dean, applied sciencies, University of Northampton at the BSLT in late February.

Following a two-day meeting in the German town of Rheingau, the new executive management team of the DyStar Group have began working. In the presence of DyStar’s new shareholder and chairman, Manish Kiri, the team discussed topics such as the restart of production in Germany which is expected for end of March, strategies to quickly improve DyStar’s supply situation and ways to finance all projects essential for achieving the envisaged results.

Lanxess, one of the world’s leading suppliers of leather chemicals, are offering customers a genuine competitive advantage with the colour and trend forecast for spring/summer 2011. The specialty chemicals group have produced a special collection of leather samples that shows the trends for the spring/summer 2011 season.