More modern and exquisite – this is how the forthcoming GDS - International Event for Shoes & Accessories will be presented in Düsseldorf from March 14-16. Under the heading ‘Inspiration to Go’ the entire image of GDS has been re-designed and translated into pictures.

The UK’s largest manufacturers of leather, Andrew Muirhead & Son and Bridge of Weir Leather Company, subsidiaries of Scottish Leather Group (SLG), have recently supplied their ‘Low Carbon Leather’ for a host of contracts within both the marine and hospitality industries.

Marfrig Alimentos, Latin America’s second-largest beef producer, have been fined 1 million reais ($572,000) for a toxic gas leak in a tanning plant in central-western Brazil that has killed four workers.

American Tanning and Leather Company (AMTAN) from the USA and Whiteline Exotic Leathers (WL) of Italy have announced plans to form a strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global exotic leather company.

The Indian central government’s proposed leather cluster for Tamil Nadu, that was announced in the Union Budget 2011-2012, is likely to be located near Tiruvannamalai. The process of land acquisition and other formalities are underway, members of the Council for Leather Exports said in a press conference on January 30.

S S Palanimanickam, Indian Minister of State for Finance has officially opened the 27^th edition of India International Leather Fair in a warm Chennai evening on January 31. The show takes place until February 3.

The 27th India International Leather Fair (IILF) opens on January 31 and is one of the first major leather sector shows of the year. With a strong focus on the European footwear sector Indian exporters are looking to diversify their production into different markets. The show takes place at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai. The fair will be open to business visitors from 10 am to 6 pm.

At the India International Leather Fair (IILF) in Chennai taking place January 31 to February 3, 2012, BASF focuses on delivering comprehensive solutions that include both product and process applications. Newly launched products with high performance and ecological benefits will also be introduced at the fair. 

Indian leather chemical producers, GG Organics have formulated a range of environmentally focussed leather chemicals which will be highlighted at the IILF this year.

In November 2011, ATC started production at their new facility of Trevoux (France), dedicated to the production of new copolymers, high tech fatliquors, and a wide range of polyurethanes and acrylic binders.

C&E Ltd are a leading manufacturer of leather chemicals and finishes catering for the entire leather industry. They have been in the leather business for the past three decades.

Clariant invite visitors to the IILF, the Indian International Leather Fair, to ‘Sense the Difference’ in performance and productivity possibilities created by its revolutionary new products and systems for the leather and footwear sectors. During the last six months, Clariant has launched an unprecedented number of innovations, which it will showcase alongside eye-catching leathers and other exciting advances.

ICLT (Institute for Creative Leather Technologies – University of Northampton) builds upon their international reputation for leather education and their proven excellence in fashion, footwear and wearable accessory design. Collectively it creates a globally unique centre embracing the technical, scientific, creative and end-user elements of the leather and leather product value chain.

Stahl India’s display at IILF  (India International Leather Fair) held January 31 - February 3, 2012 will be largely based on Colour Previews linking colour with the time of day.

During the IILF, Smit & Zoon will attend with their staff consisting of Jan Koopmans, Kenan Özcan, Arijit Misra and Dirick von Behr. A full collection from local stock has been prepared and will be exhibited at their booth.

SMBPL were established in Chennai in 2009 as an R&D based company with a vision to emerge as a prominent player in the field of biotechnology. They are currently involved in the manufacturing of enzymes for textiles, leather, feed, pharma, food, tea, detergent and the pulp and paper industries. In addition to enzymes, SMBPL manufacture textile and leather auxiliaries, agri products, such as, plant growth promoters, super spreading agents and nano products such as UV blockers and fire retardants.

Vishnu Chemicals is a diversified, vertically integrated, chromium chemical manufacturer and exporter, located in India, producing Vishnuchrome (basic chromium sulphate) for the international tanning industry. 

Key representatives of the three International organisations that operate within the leather sector – International Council of Tanners (ICT), International Council of Hide Skin & Leather Traders Associations (ICHSLTA) and International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) – met during the Istanbul Leather Fair in January to continue discussions on global cooperation in the leather industry.

Environmental and sustainability issues are the focus for an upcoming conference in Hong Kong organised by BLC Leather Technology Centre and show organisers, APLF Ltd.

University of the West of Scotland (UWS) have established a formal partnership with the Scottish Leather Group (SLG). The ‘University-Industry Partnership Agreement’ will see UWS and SLG working on a range of projects embracing; joint student interaction, sponsored academic programmes, joint research and knowledge transfer activity, consultancy work, and staff education and training programmes.

The Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) have requested that the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) reconsider their request of a 50% subsidy for the participants of the upcoming APLF exhibition to be held in Hong Kong (March 28-30), for the promotion of the leather industry.

Coach’s fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 15%, with its leather merchandise seeing demand from a growing men’s business and the retailer enjoying a good performance in the US and China.

According to local media reports the Korangi Industrial Area (KIA) near Karachi is besieged by a set of mounting troubles for both workers and manufacturers, which is causing swift closure of many industrial units in the area.
From a weakening law and order situation to the lack of energy, the KIA is set with a number of problems with almost no help from the government say local reports.

Tandy Leather Factory, said on January 20 that they opened two new stores last week in Spain, one in Jerez and one in Ubrique. The stores will operate under the name Tandy Leather Factory serving wholesale customers as well as the general public.

Austrian automotive leather makers, Boxmark are to supply leather for the new Audi Q3, which is the latest model to be added to Audi’s Q-Series. Boxmark World Leather are a subsidiary of H Schmidt Holding and manufacture around 12,400,000 m² upholstery leather annually for a number of premium automotive brands and other upholstery leather customers.

The retanning and finishing plant of JBS Couros’s Cascavel-CE was audited by BLC Leather Technology Centre in  December 2011 against the Leather Working Group protocol 5.2.2. It achieved a silver LWG tannery award.

Heusch from Germany are one of the worlds leading suppliers of fleshing and shaving knives. They have launched Excalibur, the world’s 1st stainless steel fleshing blade.

Bonfide Group are planning to build and open a new tannery to boost leather processing capacity in the country. The tannery expected to be running in the next two years is estimated will cost almost Sh200 million ($2.3 million).

Leather manufacturer, Pittards have opened a major new leather goods factory in Ethiopia.
The new facility is just another step in the ongoing success story of the British manufacturing company that last year saw profits rise by over 20% and achieved early success with its new venture into own brand fashion and leather goods.

Raw hide and skin prices saw an increase of 25% in Ethiopia last month. The price of hides and skins normally lowers or remains the same during the New Year holiday season but that has not been the case last month say the Leather Industry Development Institute (LIDI) in Ethiopia.

Expo Riva Schuh, a leading international fair dedicated to the footwear sector, closed on January 17. The event, held at Riva del Garda, Italy January 14-17, concluded its 77th edition with 12,513 visitors. The organisers claim visitor numbers are up compared with January 2011.

Stahl present their colour, fashion and leather technology preview for spring and summer 2013, which includes an exciting new section on Italian fashion trends.

An announcement was distributed to the USHSLA (US Hide, Skin and Leather Association) membership by President John Reddington this week concerning non-performing purchase/sales contracts.

Clariant announced on January 17 that they have successfully priced an Eurobond transaction of €500 million with a tenor of five years, issued by Clariant Finance (Luxembourg) and guaranteed by Clariant Ltd.

Lawyers reached a last-minute settlement January 6, avoiding what was to have been a three-week trial.

George Adam, MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) for Paisley and Renfrewshire’s Provost, Celia Lawson, have visited tanners W.J& W Lang, part of the Scottish Leather Group.

During the last Acexpiel council meeting, the Spanish Tanners' Association, Xavier Badia has been appointed as the new President of the association. He previously held the post of vice-president of Acexpiel.

Severe shortages of gas and miserably low pressure of gas supply are adversely hitting the leather industries based in Karachi.

Tandy Leather Factory’s sales at stores open at least a year rose by 19% in December, the company said on January 5. This figure is a key gauge of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

The Leather Industry Development Institution, Ethiopia is to import semi-processed leather products. The Ethiopian institute had originally considered importing raw material. The institute made the decision to import leather to solve the shortage of supplies for national tanneries.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips are used by marketers to bridge virtual and physical worlds and by retailers to track inventory. However, it can be exploited by criminals seeking to steal individuals' personal information encrypted in credit cards, IDs and passports.

After significant export growth of 33.3% in 2011, Vietnam is expecting this year to attain further growth for their major export products including textiles and garments, leather and footwear, wood products and seafood.

Tanneries are facing an acute water shortage in the Korangi tanning cluster and the situation is threatening export orders worth millions of dollars say the Pakistan Tanners Association.

PrimeAsia Leather Company are one of the first tanners worldwide to extensively measure the individual carbon footprint of their leather products against international standards. SGS in collaboration with the Plastics Industry Development Center certified PrimeAsia leather’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) according to ISO 14064-3:2006 as meeting the requirements of PAS 2050: 2008. PrimeAsia’s carbon footprint program aims to provide additional knowledge to drive ahead the use and further development of energy efficiency.

DyStar, the textile and leather dyestuff and chemical specialists, have continued to move ahead of expectations in a tough market, gaining market share and substantially improving on last year’s earnings. All this has taken place in the face of falling market demand and rising cotton costs, as well as wider issues such as the tsunami in Japan in March, political unrest in the Middle East, floods in Thailand in November and ongoing economic instability across the US and Europe.

The German-Chinese eco-tannery ISA Tan Tec have received ‘Gold’ status from the Leather Working Group (LWG) for their plant in Saigon, Vietnam. This is the highest category awarded by the Group. The award is based on an independent audit of resource consumption and environmental management. ‘We are delighted that the LWG has honoured our commitment to the highest ecological standards by granting us ‘Gold’ status’, says Tom Schneider, Founder and CEO of ISA Tan Tec.

International leather chemical and service providers, TFL have clarified the company’s position following a recent story posted on Bloomberg’s Business Week website.

Following recent environment audits, the Leather Working Group have awarded the highest 'gold' status to two leading tanneries. They are Saigon TanTec, Saigon in Vietnam and Tyson Food's wet-blue plant in Amarillo, Texas.

Following the recent publication by The Blacksmith Institute and the Green Cross - Top Ten Worst Toxic Pollution Problems – published in November. The tanning industry was named as one of the worst polluting industries in the world. Dr Catherine Money, an independent Consultant and former CSIRO research scientist in Australia has written an open letter to the IULTCS and the leather industry defending the use of chromium. She also counters some of the claims made in the Blacksmith Report.

Even as the euro zone crisis may result in decline in orders next year, Indian leather exporters are hoping that the likely diversion of some exports from China to India will partly compensate the drop in orders from Europe.

TFL Holding GmbH’s creditors plan to begin seeking bids for the leather-chemicals supplier from early next year, according to the trustee overseeing the sale.

Online news service Debtwire published a report earlier this month on automotive upholstery leather makers, GST Autoleather highlighting concerns over the company’s finances. Particularly since the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan earlier this year.

The Associated press reported on December 19 that the worst drought in Texas’ history has led to the largest-ever one-year decline in the leading cattle-state’s cow herd, raising the likelihood of increased beef prices as the number of animals decline and demand remains strong.

As part of their long-term commitment to sustainability and transparency, DyStar have released on December 17 their first annual sustainability report. The report relates to the Group’s 2010 activities and was further built on their first Carbon Footprint Report, which was published in August.

The twenty-ninth edition of Modacalzado + Iberpiel, the international footwear and leather goods fair will take place from March 11-13 at the Feria de Madrid next year.

On December 6, Cotance and Euratex launched in Brussels the first European Sectoral Council on Education Training & Employment in front of international and European representatives. 

Richard Fuller, President, Blacksmith Institute has responded to the recent statement issued by the IULTCS following Blacksmith’s publication linking the leather industry to toxic pollution. The Blacksmith Institute are now seeking co-operation with the IULTCS.

Andrew Muirhead & Son has recently supplied the leather within three five-star hotels, in both London and Switzerland. Part of Scottish Leather Group and manufacturers of sustainable Low Carbon Leather, they are well known within the industry for supplying top quality leather for the luxury goods sector.

Cotance and ETUF:TCL have started the third phase of their ‘Social and Environmental Reporting in the Leather Industry’ initiative.

Spanish bovine tanners, Incusa have picked up an award for best innovation for their novel titanium based leathers known as Sanotan. The Spanish industry ‘Innovation Night’ was supported by leading national newspaper El Mundo and is aimed at highlighting innovation in Spanish business across all industries.

The Verein für Gerberei-Chemie und –Technik (VGCT) and the Forschungsinstitut für Leder und Kunststoffbahnen (FILK) will co-host the 1^st Freiberg Leather Days from April 25 - 26, 2012. The Freiberg Leather Days are designed to provide a regular exchange of information and experience between experts and establish an annual conference of the European tanning and leather industries. This event will replace the former ‘Reutlingen Informations- und Diskussionstagung’.

The Italian ‘Guido Vergani’ award for the reporter of the year 2011 went to Andrea Guolo, longstanding journalist of the Italian leather industry magazine, La Conceria owned by UNIC – the Italian tanners association. The official ceremony took place on November 26 in Milan where editor of Corriere della Sera (jury President), Ferruccio De Bortoli, and the President of the reporters club of Lombardi, Rosi Brandi presented the award.

The parent company of National Beef Leathers based in St Joseph, Missouri, National Beef have sold a majority interest to a New York-based holding company, Leucadia National Inc.

A 150% tax will be imposed on the export of semi-finished leather from Ethiopia as of this month according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. The move is expected to encourage the export of finished leather and leather products from the country.

Pinghu City People’s Court held a hearing on November 30 regarding an environmental pollution case against four unnamed tanneries and an environmental services company. The case will be settled out of court following the hearing.

The chief executive of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Kevin Burke, recently noted that the average retail price of shoes in the US was almost the same in 2010 as it was in 1999.
As the cost of leather and other raw materials have increased in recent months, Burke has concluded that margins throughout the footwear supply chain must be tightening.

The IULTCS (International Union of Leather Technicians and Chemists Societies) have expressed deep concern regarding the recent listing of ‘Tanning Operations - Chromium Pollution’ as one of the world’s worst toxic pollution problems by the Blacksmith Institute.

The Officers of the IULTCS announced on November 30 the addition of CTIC to the International Union and welcomes the R&D Director of CTIC, Filipe Crispim to their Executive Committee.

The University of Northampton’s School of Science and Technology and Institute for Creative Leather Technologies recently welcomed Mukhtarul Amin, Managing Director of the Superhouse Group in Kanpur, India, to Park Campus where he signed a memorandum of understanding with the University.

Italian tanners, Gruppo Mastrotto have launched a stock range of leathers to enable customers to order at short notice to adapt to changes in trends and fashion.

The construction of the new leather market began on November 26 in the new commercial district of Xindu in Chengdu city, which is regarded as largest one in southwest of China.

An inspection team consisting of Jinjiang city leaders and officials from the environmental protection bureau have visited the Kemu Tanning Zone. The visit was to monitor the progress of merging 63 tanneries in the area into just four units. The process of integration is in accordance with the municipal government requirements to reduce and control pollution.

The tanning industry has been ranked as the fifth worse polluting industry by the New York based NGO, Blacksmith Institute and the Green Cross. The report titled 'The Worlds Worst Toxic Pollution Problems' claims that chromium pollution from tanning puts an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide at pollution risk.

Natalia Brilli, a Parisian Jewellry maker has told the New York Times that she wants to 'restore leather's pedigree'. The article was published in the well-known American newspaper. Brilli is one of a group of designers that are asking for leather to regain its luxury status rather than be seen as a commodity material.

TFL have released their TFL Colour Trends catalogue for the season spring/summer 2013. In the catalogue, TFL present the colour trends for the leather garment, footwear, accessory and additionally for the upholstery industry.

US leather chemical makers, Whittemore-Wright have developed a new lower cost fatliquor, Morite No.101 Oil.

UNIDO have released results of the EU funded project 'Reduction of Environmental Threats and Increase of Exportability of Bangladeshi Leather Products' (Re-Tie) have been documented and four videos are available on YouTube. The videos can also be watched on a link from this website in our Leather TV section on the homepage.

Fossil shares fell by 5.2% to $82.46 on November 21. Fossil, Inc. designs, develops, markets, and distributes consumer fashion accessories. 

G-III Apparel stocks went down 1.7% to $18.90 on November 22. G-III Apparel has overhead space with shares priced $18.90, or 42.7% below the average consensus analyst price target of $33.00.

Scottish Leather Group, (SLG), have won the ‘Outstanding Performing Business > 25 staff’ Award (sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland) at the 2011 ROCCO Awards, (Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards), on November 11.

BASF have launched a new finishing product – Astacin Finish PS, for achieving outstanding water spot resistance and high print retention for elegant leather. Astacin Finish PS delivers high performance levels.

Stahl India’s display at IILF  (India International Leather Fair) in 2012 (January 31 - February 3) will be largely based on the recently announced Colour Previews linking colour with the time of day.

The trade fair duo GDS - International Event for Shoes & Accessories – and Global Shoes the leading trade show for sourcing – kicks off the coming season with a new look.  

The Leather Chemicals division of BASF India have held a special event for its distributors to commemorate 25 years of successful partnership. The event held in Mumbai was attended by BASF’s leading distributors of leather chemicals.

American leather and textile handbag maker Coach is aiming for China to become its main market in the next three years, expanding stores despite an economic slowdown and the rise of online and second-hand markets for handbags in the country.

APLF will hold their annual spring trade fairs focusing on the leather and fashion industries from March 28-30, 2012 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Bridge of Weir, part of the Scottish Leather Group and Fisker Automotive from California have announced that Fisker’s latest range of electric cars will include Bridge of Weir’s low carbon leather.

The World Leather Congress closed its first edition with a technical visit to the JBS Couros plant of Itumbiara on November 10.

At the ICT Council Meeting on November 6 in Rio de Janeiro ICT (International Council of Tanners) formally accepted an application from Cotance, the European tanners association, for the 15 member associations of Cotance to join ICT as a group. This followed detailed discussions on the revision of the ICT statutes, which were formally amended at the Council meeting in March 2011.

From 2012 automotive manufacturers selling leather interiors sold in the European Union will only be able to claim it as a fully leather interior if it has a minimum of 80% or more leather content.

The first World Leather Congress began today at the Sofitel Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. Over 230 delegates are registered to attend the one-day event which is organised by the International Council of Tanners (ICT) and the Brazilian Tanners Association (CICB).

Members of the International Council of Tanners' (ICT), International Council of Hides, Skins and Leather Traders Association (ICHSLTA) and the International Union of Leather Technicians and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) met in Rio de Janeiro on November 8, on the eve of the first World Leather Congress to discuss future co-operation.

Over 400 delegates are attending the two-day World footwear Congress which is taking place in Rio de Janeiro today and tomorrow. The congress is taking place at the Hotel Sofitel on Rio's famous Copacabana beach.

The situation for the tannery and shoe factory for Ecco in Thailand remains unchanged and the tannery has been under water for one month by the beginning of November.

Slava Lagunov passed away on October 25 aged 58. He represented all of the former Soviet Union countries for Swiss tannery equipment maker Hüni where he will be remembered as a kind and cheerful professional.

G-III Apparel stocks are on the rise, up 9.8% to $29.43.  G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. manufactures and distributes leather and non-leather outerwear apparel.

Clariant, a leading supplier of leather chemicals, have adopted a three-pillar formula to innovation. The three pillars are: the effect that any new development will have on the environment, its economic impact and viability and the demands of the customers.

Next years GDS – the International Event for Shoes & Accessories – and Global Shoes the trade show for sourcing – will be held from March 14-16 and from September 5-7, 2012. 

JBS have informed their shareholders and the market in general that it has not violated any agreement or commitment made to public and civil institutions in Brazil. The Company stresses that it adopts strict controls of its raw material sourcing, follows a rigorous sustainability policy, monitors its suppliers and rejects any practices that harm the environment or people.

Andrew Muirhead & Son, part of Scottish Leather Group, and manufacturers of quality upholstery and sustainable Low Carbon Leather, have recently supplied the leather for two of Britain’s finest museums, The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh and The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, attached to the University of Oxford.

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, today announced sales of CHF 1.865 billion ($2.12 billion) in the third quarter 2011, compared to CHF 1.709 billion ($1.96 billion) in the previous year. This includes Süd-Chemie (SC) sales of CHF 356 million ($409 million).

French luxury goods giant LVMH posted larger than expected sales growth for the third quarter on October 18 due to strong revenue from signature brand Louis Vuitton and despite an uncertain global economy.
In the July-September period, sales jumped 17.6% from the equivalent period last year to €6.01 billion and nine-month sales increased 15% to €16.3 billion, the company said in a statement.

Representatives of JBS’s Leather Division have told Leather International that the recent comments made by campaign group Greenpeace are not accurate and that the company has a policy of not sourcing cattle from farms linked with the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Greenpeace staged a fashion show on October 18 with Italian top models in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore, while the city played host to the Lineapelle show.

Leather manufacturer Pittards have been named as one of the top three companies in both the Textiles and the prestigious overall Gold sections in the 25th UK Fashion & Textile Export Awards. 
The event was held last week at the Banqueting House in London. HRH the Princess Royal, who presented the awards, said the awards demonstrated excellence in export achievements in a competitive global market.

The first morning of the Lineapelle fair in Bologna today was a fairly subdued affair although visitor numbers did pick up in the afternoon. Lineapelle is being held along with the tanning and footwear machinery shows Tanning Tech and Simac in Bologna.

The opening day of ACLE, September 6, ICHSLTA (International Council of Hides, Skins and Leather Traders’ Association) held their annual mid-term meeting. A number of important decisions were taken at the meeting concerning the future of the association.

Organisers of the Tanning Tech and Simac shows, Assomac, will be hosting two free conferences in Bologna next week. The tannery and footwear machinery shows will take place alongside the Lineapelle fair in Bologna, October 18-20.

Ungricht, the roller and engraving specialists were established in 1892 and are one of the leading suppliers of engraved rollers and plates. Ungricht have a unique collection of more than 45,000 embossing designs and more than 50,000 printing designs available for rollers and plates.

Intermedia Holland offer a complete range of tannery machines and equipment, machine parts, service, maintenance and turn-key projects on exclusive basis with various leading machine manufacturers. New, but also used and reconditioned machines and complete leather production lines, designed for a customers specific requirements which Intermedia can supply, install and maintain.

Fenice will be presenting their latest leather chemical innovation at the Tanning Tech show in Bologna this year. Waterstain, is a range of water-based dyes for the finishing of crust leather in any colour tone.

Escomar Italia will be showcasing their range of through-feed sammying machines and vacuum driers during the Tanning Tech show this year.

New Equitan staff will be present on the stand and they will be showing a video of their improved dedusting machine, Daisy GP 2.

Das Comar were the first manufacturers of machines for the transfer foil. At Tanning Tech (Bologna, October 18-20) this year they will be introducing a transfer foil with a working width of 2400mm.

Two unions of representing French tanners merged in June to become a unified group under the existing name of Fédération Française de la Tannerie Mégisserie.

Shanghai Richina Leather held their second annual Global Hide Summit on October 4 at The Harvard Club in New York. The meeting was attended by major consumer brands including Coach, Clarks, Rockport, Wolverine World, Rocky Brands, and GST Autoleather.

The Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) held their annual elections on September  29 where S M Naseem of Mima Leather, Karachi was elected as Central Chairman unopposed for the seventh time. M Khurshid Ahmed of Blooming Leather, Karachi and Khawaja Muhammad Mehr Ali of Khawaja Tanneries, Multan were elected as Vice Chairmen by the Central Executive committee of the PTA for the year 2011-2012.

Intense rains in Thailand have flooded the tannery and shoe factory of the Danish shoe brand Ecco in Ayutthaya north of Bangkok. The water was up to two metres deep on October 5 broke through dikes that protected the factory from ‘normal’ seasonal flooding. Both the Ecco Leathers tannery and shoe factory are currently closed.

Stahl’s new Colour Preview brochure and poster for spring and summer 2013 is a timely reminder that leather, woollens, cottons, linens, silks and others all play a complementary roll in the fashion scene. They also look back to the days when the time of day was important, especially in the ‘big houses’. Breakfast, morning, afternoon, work, sport and evening all called for a change of clothes, a scenario, which still has its elegant echoes in today’s fashion world.

In an effort to keep costs down there will be less tannery machinery and equipment on display at Tanning Tech this year. Organised by the Italian Tannery and Footwear Machinery Manufacturers Association (Assomac) this year’s event will take place at the Bologna Fiera alongside Lineapelle and Simac (the footwear machinery fair) October 18-20.

The 31st International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) congress began with the Heidemann lecture delivered by Dr Heinz-Peter Germann the Director of the LGR in Reutlingen, Germany. The paper was titled ‘A natural plant crosslinker from olive waste for leather tanning’.

Clariant’s new EasyWhiteTan system not only meets the demands of the wet-end tanning process but the leather produced can also be easily used in post-tanning or retanning operations. Compared with chrome-free automotive leather, leathers produced with EasyWhite Tan show the same properties and no adjustments are necessary, according to Clariant, one of the leading suppliers of leather chemicals. The crust characteristics for other articles, which are more difficult to produce with existing chrome-free systems, can easily be achieved with the new tanning system. In many cases, the characteristics are similar to conventional chrome tanned leather. Tanners of shoe upper leather have found EasyWhite Tan crust leathers well suited to their sector.

Bridge of Weir Leather Company (BoW), part of Scottish Leather Group, and manufacturers of low carbon leather supplied leather to some of the most notable concept cars at the 64^th Frankfurt Motor Show, the largest motor show in the world (September 15-25).

SRL (Shanghai Richina Leather) are hosting their ‘Second Annual Hide Summit’ in New York on October 4.   

The 31st International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) congress officially started today with the Heidemann lecture delivered by Dr Heinz-Peter Germann the Director of the LGR in Reutingen, Germany. With a paper entitled 'A natural plant crosslinker from olive waste for leather tanning' Dr Germann gave the lecture following a series welcome speeches from a number of senior figures from the Spanish tanning industry.

David Burgess, Group Technical Director of the Trumpler, has recently retired after 44 years service in the leather industry.

Le Cuir A Paris celebrated its 10th anniversary with a cocktail party for exhibitors and invited guests at the end of the first day of the show today. Most exhibitors expressed satisfaction with the quality and quantity of visitors attending the three day show. 'Most of our exhibitors haven't stopped all day. They have been busy since first thing this morning', Sophie Hivert, Manager, Federation Francaise de la Tannerie - Megisserie, told Leather International. 'The demand for high quality, luxury leather continues', she added.

APICCAPS (the Portuguese Footwear, Components, Leather Goods Manufacturers' Association) has just launched their World Footwear Yearbook.

Apart from working towards environmental friendly ranges in finishing, BASF Leather Chemicals has recently acquired a ‘TopStar’ rollercoating machine made by Gemata for their technical laboratory in Ludwigshafen, Germany. This will bring them in line with the current technology widely adopted by most modern tanneries and finishing laboratories.

The UK Leather Federation supported by the University of Northampton officially unveiled their UK Leather Industry Strategy launch at the House of Lords in London on September 13. The launch was made to 60 invited guests is aimed at defining the future of the sector in the UK and how it will survive in a competitive global market place.

Leather Wise have relocated their premises to newly refurbished offices. The new address is as follows:

Clariant announced on September 5 that they had adjusted their guidance for the full-year 2011 due to unfavourable foreign exchange rate developments and a softening of the global economy in the current business year. The mid-term EBITDA margin target for 2015 was confirmed. The Clariant portfolio includes their Leather Services business unit.

The Performance Monomers business of The Dow Chemical Company announced on September 7 a 15% increase in their capacity to produce 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (2-EHA) at its Hahnville, Louisiana facility. This results from a successful removal of a bottleneck that addresses Dow’s need to increase 2-EHA capacity for its domestic customers as well as deliver innovation improvements to further improve reliability and sustainability. 2-EHA is used in leather finishing formulations. 

The day after the World Leather Congress takes place in Rio de Janeiro on November 9, delegates have been invited to visit the modern tanning facility of JBS Group in Itumbiara (GO). The plant produces over 16,000 hides a day (10,000 crust and 6,000 finished leather).

Italian tanning company, Gruppo Mastrotto have responded to recent media reports with a press release on September 2 clarifying their position regarding recent accusations of tax irregularities. It is alleged that the company sought payments from the government to pay some employee wages and social costs under Italian law during a period when orders were reduced while at the same time were putting millions of euros in offshore tax havens. Gruppo Mastrotto dispute the figures quoted in the Italian media. 

The 14th edition of All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai closed their doors on September 8. The first two days of the show were busy with the usual drop off in visitor numbers on day three. ‘We have met so many people at the show this year and we have seen a great deal of interest in our footwear upper leather’, says Diego Beverstein, Sales Manager, Fonseca.

The first day of the All China Leather Exhibition concluded with most exhibitors happy with the number of visitors they had received. The show is larger than in 2010 and statistics suggest that the Chinese market still continues to be strong with healthy growth.

The Upholstery Leather in Asia conference organised by Leather International magazine closed on September 5 with delegates listening to a wide range of topics relating to the upholstery leather sector in Asia with a strong focus on automotive leather.

German upholstery tanner, Heller-Leder from Hehlen have won the 2011 Tannery of the Year award at a lavish gala awards ceremony at the Jumeirah Himalayas hotel in Pudong, Shanghai on September 6.

Greenpeace say that Adidas, the world's second largest sportswear brand, has responded to their 'Detox' challenge by committing to zero discharge of hazardous chemicals throughout its entire supply chain and across the entire lifecycle of its products, by 2020.

Stefano Ferragamo of Italian fashion group, Salvatore Ferragamo, Diego Rossetti, CEO, Italian footwear brand, Fratelli Rossetti and Raymond Massaro, the former French Fashion House and Celebrity Footwear designer and manufacturer will all attend the World Leather Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 9.

In a press release this week, JBS Leather Division said that they have started to recently consolidate their manufacturing in Brazil, aiming to optimise the existing infrastructure and improve the products and services delivered to their customers.

Anyone wishing to be a delegate attending the half-day ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference that will take place next week on September 5 needs to book and pay for their place as there are only a few places left. It is the last chance to attend.

Leather International magazine is pleased to announce the final speaker line-up for ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference, which takes place next week in Shanghai. The strong line-up is led by keynote speaker, Dr Bernhard Angermaier of auto giants Audi as well as our latest speaker, Jean-Baptiste Trolle of the large international auto supply group, Faurecia. The half-day conference will take place on September 5, 2011 at the 5-star Kerry Hotel, Shanghai, which is located in the Pudong district next to the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). The conference takes place on the afternoon before the start of the ACLE, which will be held in the SNIEC.

PrimeAsia Leather Corporation announced on August 30 that their Vietnam tannery has maintained gold status while being reaudited against the Leather Working Group environmental protocol in July 2011. PrimeAsia Vietnam and PrimeAsia China continue as gold accredited tanneries while PrimeAsia Taiwan maintains a very impressive Silver accreditation. The LWG was formed as collaboration between footwear brands and tanneries to assess the compliance and environmental performance of tanners and to promote sustainable and appropriate environmental business practices within the footwear and leather industry.

The inaugural ACLE was held in 1998 with the purpose of introducing the best and most innovative in all aspects of leather making - primarily from overseas suppliers at that time - to Chinese companies. The next edition of the All China Leather Exhibition takes place next week at the SNIEC in Pudong, Shanghai, September 6-8.

The world’s largest sportswear brand, Nike, on August 18 committed themselves to the elimination of releases of all hazardous chemicals across its entire supply chain and the entire life-cycle of its products by 2020, following a Greenpeace challenge to 'Detox'.

Leather International magazine's LinkedIn group welcomed its thousandth member last week and underlines it as the fastest growing social media group in the leather industry.

AAQTIC, the Argentine Leather Chemists and Technicians Association, published a new report in July on cyanide levels in tannery effluent. The full report is available in both English and Spanish on their website.

At their board meeting on August 10, the Supervisory Board of Lanxess appointed Dr Axel C Heitmann as Chairman of the Board of Management for a further five years. The new mandate will begin as of July 1, 2012. Heitmann has been Chairman of the Board of Management of Lanxess since September 2004.

Schill + Seilacher, the German leather chemical maker, will be showing new wet end technology at the All China Leather Exhibition this year in Shanghai, September 6-8.

This years Smit & Zoon leather collection at the ACLE in Shanghai, September 6-8 is based on three philosophies:

Birko, a leader in providing food safety solutions to the protein industry including quality process chemicals, have improved their hide curing additive, Xlerator for even better cures on brine cured hides.

Leather International, organisers, of the ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference are pleased to announce a new speaker to complete the speaker line-up for the half-day conference.

German specialty chemicals company Lanxess is showcasing their products and systems for innovative shoe, furniture and automotive leather at the ACLE in Shanghai, September 6-8. The focus is on a new type of robust organic tanning process for high-quality leather with outstanding environmental properties.

At the ACLE which takes place September 6-8 in Shanghai, TFL will be presenting several beamhouse, wet-end and finishing products that help tanners to maximise cutting yield. The main focus will be on the brand new product Roda Care IPS which was especially developed for intelligent upgrading with polishable finishing and increasing the useable area of the rawhide.

This year’s display at the ACLE, September 6-8 in Shanghai will continue to develop Stahl’s theme of ‘Bringing LIFE to Leather’.

Optimised products and systems that deliver high performance with ecological benefits are the focus of BASF at this year’s ACLE, September 6-8. Highlights include a combination/system of BASF’s range of wet-end products, such as VVetan and POLiTAN, as well as their new stand-alone products such as Basozym B10 and Densodrin DP.

Clariant’s Leather Business will be exhibiting at the ACLE with a new, enlarged booth headlined ‘Sense the Difference’, incorporating exciting innovations, eye-catching leathers and multimedia tools.

Italian tannery machinery manufacturers, Officine di Cartigliano, are to celebrate the opening of their new plant at their headquarters in Cartigliano, Vicenza on September 18.

A comprehensive economic partnership between India and Japan came into effect on August 1, aiming to grant greater access to each other's markets and to more than double bilateral trade to $25 billion by 2014.

Privately owned National Beef Packing Company (NBP), headquartered in Kansas City, have made good profits although net income in its fiscal 2011 third quarter fell 22% from year earlier. NBP earned $61.5 million in the quarter ended May 28, virtually the same as it earned in the prior quarter. They earned $177.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2011, 4.4% more than for the same period in fiscal 2010. National’s sales were up 16-17% on last year in the quarter and for 39 weeks.

Leather International, organisers of the ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference are pleased to announce a new sponsor and two new speakers.

Following a request by the Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA), the federal government has banned export of meat and livestock for three months to curb their skyrocketing prices. The Minister for Commerce, Makhdoom Amin Fahim said there are several other factors contributing to the increase of meat and livestock prices, including the death of 1.5 million animals due to the 2010 floods.

Early bird discounted prices to attend the ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference on September 5, 2011 will end on July 31. The delegate price will rise from $150* to $180* from August 1, 2011. Bookings and payments made before August 1 will be at the lower rate.

Lanxess are strengthening their commitment to serve the growing Chinese market with premium products by making a number of local investments totaling more than €40 million, including a new leather chemicals facility. ‘China remains one of the fastest growing markets in Asia and a key pillar of our mid-term growth strategy,’ said Lanxess CEO Axel C Heitmann.

Clariant, the specialty chemicals company, today announced sales of CHF 1.870 billion in the second quarter 2011, compared to CHF 1.894 billion in the previous year. This includes Süd-Chemie (SC) sales of CHF 216 million for May and June. In local currencies, sales growth amounted to 14%. Due to the massive appreciation of the Swiss franc against most major currencies, sales were 1% lower in Swiss francs year-on-year.

Puma, the world’s third largest sportswear brand, have responded to a Greenpeace challenge to ‘detox’, by publicly committing to the elimination of all releases of hazardous chemicals from its entire product lifecycle, and across its global supply chain by 2020, putting it firmly ahead of its competitors Nike and Adidas in the race for a toxic-free future say Greenpeace.

Andrew Muirhead & Son, part of Scottish Leather Group, and manufacturers of quality upholstery and sustainable Low Carbon Leather, have recently supplied the leather for Manicomio, a contemporary Italian restaurant in Central London.

The organisers of the World Leather Congress have been given an exhibition space during the forthcoming Courovisão (International Fair of Leather, Chemicals, Components, Equipments and Accessories for Footwear and Manufactured Goods). Courovisão takes place September 27-29 at the Fenac exhibition grounds in Novo Hamburgo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

History has come back to life after a 100 year old leather flying jacket used in the first world war has been painstakingly reproduced. The leather jacket is part of the First World War aviation collection at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset, UK and has for some time been used in regular ‘hands on’ talks put on by the museum for visitors.

For several reasons, many leathers have a fixing coat applied to the flesh side of the hide. To manage this effectively, Clariant has developed there new Melio 03-W-75.

The secret of a good beamhouse process lies in the soak. To achieve this, the hide has to be wet back and the surface has to be free of dirt, dung and grease. Universal surfactants like non-ionic fatty alcohol ethoxylates are often used to perform soaking, but they can create various problems like excessive removal of natural grease and thereby create looseness and emptiness in the leather.

International upholstery tanners, Eagle Ottawa, LLC have donated $100,000 to the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund of the American Red Cross for disaster relief efforts currently underway.
The company also pledges to match donations from their employees who contribute to this fund to support this disaster effort.

The European Association representing the leather industry, Cotance and ETUF:TCL represented by their respective Chief Executives, Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano and Luc Triangle, met on July 6, 2011 in Brussels to begin their EU sponsored project on raw material traceability. This one-year initiative aims at collecting relevant intelligence from European countries on the issues regarding the traceability of tanners’ raw materials and identifying the means for a greater transparency in the trade on the origin of hides and skins.

A quality list of OEM and other high-profile speakers has been put together for the forthcoming 'Upholstery Leather in Asia' conference.

Chinese tanneries account for a major portion of worldwide semi- and finished leather, buoyed by healthy demand from both home and abroad. According to the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), the gross industrial output value for leather, over the period Jan-May 2011 was US$299.3 billion: an impressive increase of 26.9% year–on-year. Total exports of leather, fur and leather products were US$23.1 billion, an increase of 28.8% over last year.

As part of their continued expansion in China, the footwear and leather testing company, Satra are currently in the process of establishing a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) to replace the current representative office in Dongguan.

Bridge of Weir Leather, part of Scottish Leather Group, and manufacturers of quality upholstery and sustainable Low Carbon Leather, have recently supplied the leather for both Jason Atherton’s Pollen Street Social and Harvey Nichol’s Oxo Tower Bar.

BASF have appointed François Desné as Senior Vice-President of the Performance Chemicals division and global head of the business unit BASF Leather and Textile Chemicals. He succeeds Dr Reinhard Leppkes who had been leading the business unit since 2007.

To achieve proper adhesion is one of the most important parameters in leather finishing. To meet the current specifications for different leathers, automotive as well as shoe upper, the finishing film has to be perfectly connected to the crust surface.

As of May 2011, TFL France went live with their GHS (Global Harmonized System) labelling. GHS (also called CLP) is how to classify and label chemical products.

Cotance, The Association of European Tanners’, will be present at the World Leather Congress with speakers including Cotance President, Alberto Rosello and Secretary General, Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano. The Cotance presence has to be ‘understood in the context of the on-going negotiations between the EU and Mercosur for a Free Trade Agreement’ say Cotance in a press statement.

DyStar announced on July 8 that they are continuing to move ahead of expectations in spite of difficult market conditions as business results return to profitability with overall Sales Revenue increasing by approximately 15% over the same period last year.

Senior automotive interior specialists from Shanghai General Motors (SAIC-GM) and the international automotive analytical test laboratory, Shimadze are the latest speakers to be announced to present at the forthcoming ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference. The half-day conference will take place on September 5, 2011 at the 5-star Kerry Hotel, Shanghai, which is located in the Pudong district next to the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).

The president of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex- Brasil), Maurício Borges, has confirmed his participation at the World Leather Congress, on November 9, 2011, at the Hotel Sofitel, in Rio de Janeiro. Maurício Borges is confirmed at the opening session of the congress, with the President of board of directors of the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB), Augusto Sampaio Coelho and the Executive President of CICB and President of The International Council of Tanners (ICT), Wolfgang Goerlich.

Recognition for Italian tanning group, Gruppo Dani, has been made by the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Government Minister Renato Brunetta during the ‘Premio dei Premi’ – the Italian national day of innovation. The award, given on June 14 in Rome, was given to Dani ‘for having made organisational and product innovation in becoming an international business as well as keeping all their production in Italy’.

SilvaTeam, a producer of vegetable extracts and speciality chemicals for a variety of industries including leather recently invited students from the Institute of Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT), part of the University of Northampton, to visit the SilvaTeam manufacturing plant. The plant is based in San Michele Mondovì (in the province of Cuneo) and is located at the foot of the Alps that allows easy access to the chestnut woods, which are the valuable raw material of the Piedmont region.

In June, TFL Italy completed their ISO audit for their site in Montebello, where the TFL Academy is located, and received the certification of ISO 9001:2008.

Dow Performance Materials, a business of The Dow Chemical Company, have named Carlos Silva Lopes as strategic marketing director for the business, which includes the specialty companies ANGUS Chemical Company and Acima Specialty Chemicals. This includes the company’s range of leather chemicals under the ANGUS name.

The Brazilian footwear fair, Francal held in São Paulo, June 27-30 was the venue for the Brazilian launch of the World Leather Congress (WLC) and the World Footwear Congress. The event was held recently, at the VIP area of the fair and WLC organisers explained details of both congresses to a domestic audience. They will take place at the Sofitel Copacabana hotel in Rio de Janeiro, November 7-8 (footwear), and November 9, 2011 (leather).

The Chairman of the Pakistan Tanners’ Association (PTA) S Z Aziz Ahmed has requested that the provincial government act quickly to support Pakistan’s second largest export sector by resuming water supply to the tanning zone in the Korangi Industrial Area's Sector 7-A.

The representatives of the European Leather Industry (Cotance) recently held their annual assembly in Rome. At the meeting they have agreed to adopt the latest ICT statutes.

The representatives of the European Leather Industry (Cotance), which recently met at a Council meeting in Rome, have complained to the European Union following a vote on a new regulation on textile names and labelling of textile products. The vote was made by the European Parliament made on May 15. The EU vote opens the way for a compulsory labelling of leather trims on clothing to be sold with the following statement ‘Contains non-textile parts of animal origin’.

Delegates can now register their attendance for the forthcoming half-day 'Upholstery Leather in Asia' conference which will take place in the afternoon (12.30-5.30pm) of Monday, September 5, 2011 at the 5-star Kerry Hotel in the Pudong district of Shanghai. Delegate fees are US$150* per person for early bookings which will rise to US$180* per person after August 1.

Police on June 21 seized €25 million ($36 million) in assets from Chinese-owned companies in Italy's leather goods and textile-making areas near Florence, in an antifraud crackdown on Chinese producers that have become an increasingly dominant presence in the Italian fashion industry.

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, will appointed Dr Hans-Joachim Müller member of the Executive Committee. He will join the company on July 1, 2011.

French leather chemical makers, ATC, have officially opened their new production facility in Trevoux near Lyon. The opening ceremony took place on June 17 in front of 200 invited guests.

To avoid soaring labour costs, Pou Chen Corp have relocated some of their production bases from coastal provinces of China to inland areas, as well as overseas and according to Tsai Chi-chien, chairman of Pou Chen the company should see the benefits in 2012.

A ‘Postcard Leather Preview’ is a companion to Stahl Design Studio’s earlier colour preview booklet for the autumn/winter 2012-13 season.

North America based leather chemical maker, Buckman announced on June 15 a global price increase on all products and programs of up to 20%. Pricing adjustments will depend on the specific product or program and region of the world. Increases will be effective July 1, 2011.

Effective immediately, or as existing contracts permit, BASF are raising their prices for formic acid in Europe €80 per ton, in South America by US$80 dollars per ton and in Asia by US$50 dollars per ton.

The provincial government of Henan have announced a list of companies that it deems to be ‘outdated’ which will be closed by the end of this year for environmental reasons. Henan province is situated inland eastern China near the city of Zhengzhou.

Swiss speciality chemical makers, Clariant which includes a Leather Services business unit, outlined their future plans at a recent Media Day, held at the London Stock Exchange on June 8. Since 2009 the company has undertaken a broad restructuring program to add cash and reduce cost and complexity. The new company structure is made up of 10 business units including the one for leather which accounts for about 4% of Clariant's global sales.

Bridge of Weir Leather Company, part of Scottish Leather Group, have launched a division in Detroit (Bridge of Weir Leather Inc) and have appointed Tom Kiepper in the newly created role of Vice President Sales for North America.

Robert Hein, Senior Vice President/General Manager – Leather Division, National Beef Packing Company and WeiLi Seng, GST-Autoleather, Managing Director for China and Korea will speak at the upcoming ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference in Shanghai on Monday, September 5. The conference takes place on the afternoon before the start date of the ACLE (September 6-8).

Tanning, leather goods and footwear making machinery shows Tanning Tech and Simac will be held alongside Lineapelle on October 18-20 this year at the Bologna Fiera.

On November 9, 2011 around 300 delegates covering the whole leather supply chain will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the World Leather Congress (WLC) at the Hotel Sofitel on the famous Copacabana beach.

The half-day ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference will be held at the newly built 5-star, Kerry Hotel in the Pudong district of Shanghai on September 5. The Kerry is part of the Shangri-La Hotel Group and is located next to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

Fashion always pushes forward — busy, expressive and wide ranging. Classic, on the other hand, is its virtual opposite: quiet, discreet and constant. Classic leather articles, therefore, are probably less visible at shows or on catwalks, but always highly in demand.

There are many leathers in the market which have been produced unfinished. Especially for shoes, but also for clothing and leather goods, where nubuck, split and suede leathers are widely used. For many of these leathers water drop resistance or water drop repellency is required.

The Footwear Materials, Manufacturing and Technology (fMM&T) show took place May 12-14 in Greater Noida near New Delhi and attracted much of the footwear industry of Northern India. The fair also featured Fashion Access and focussed on the footwear and leather goods sectors in the country. Leading brands, suppliers and industry experts representing Puma, Reebok, Lee Cooper were represented.

The Leather International LinkedIn group founded by Jeremy Skinner in 2010 has just signed-up it's 700th member. The group is now the second largest in the leather industry and includes professionals from across the entire leather supply chain.

Bridge of Weir Leather Company (BoW), part of Scottish Leather Group, and manufacturers of upholstery and sustainable Low Carbon Leather have recently supplied the leather for the Nokia Oro, Nokia’s new premium touch smartphone.

In a meeting arranged by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) on April 2, immediately after the APLF, Su Chaoying (Vice President and General Secretary, CLIA), Paul Pearson (Secretary, ICT) and Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano (Secretary General, Cotance), met the representatives of the China Plastics Industry to discuss terminology and the inappropriateness of terms such as ‘synthetic’ or ‘artificial’ leather for man-made materials.

France based Wendel, the investment company which owns leather chemical maker, Stahl, announced on May 30 that their net asset value had doubled over the past 12 months. Non-listed subsidiaries, which includes Stahl are valued at more than €1 billion.

Ramu Ganesh of Buckman Asia was recently announced as the 2010 winner of the company’s Edward Weiss Memorial Award. This global merit award is given annually in recognition of individual excellence in the fields of research, applications technology, marketing, or technical support and sales within the company. Based in Chennai, India, Ganesh is Technical Support Manager for Microbiocides and Buckman Beamhouse and Tanyard Systems (BBTS).

The All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) is the premier international leather event in China. Held annually in Shanghai, ACLE 2011 will celebrate its 13th year between September 6 - 8, 2011.

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess, are to increase their prices worldwide for leather chemicals by up to 20% effective June 1, 2011, in response to steeply rising raw material costs.
The reason for this measure is the significant price increase in the key raw materials propylene, naphthalene, phenol, isocyanates, polyols, titanium dioxide and butyl acetate.

Following increased demand for imported hides into Shishi the city’s Inspection and Quarantine Bureau reported a sharp upturn on imports of salted hides in the first four months of 2011.

A senior leather specifier of German car maker, Audi and a leading global supplier of hides for the upholstery sector from the US have confirmed that they will present at the upcoming ‘Upholstery Leather in Asia’ conference. Dr Bernhard Angermaier, Head of Material Development (Leather and Synthetics), Audi will be one of the key speakers. Robert Hein, Senior Vice-President/General Manager – Leather Division of National Beef Leathers will also address the audience.

Shanghai Richina Leather (SRL) are to officially inaugurate their new wet-blue plant in Fuxin, Liaoning province on June 28.

German leather chemical makers, Trumpler held during the first week of May a five-day seminar and practical training for students at the University of Northampton, Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT), (formerly known as BSLT), during which Kevin Banning and David Burgess of Trumpler were able to pass on some of their practical experience in the production of various types of leather.

According to a report on chinaleather.org, 79 tanneries with production capacity of less than 100,000 pieces annually will be closed in 2011 by the local authorities in Quanzhou city. Quanzhou is located in a coastal region south-west of China.

The Research Institute of Leather and Plastic Sheeting (FILK) in Freiberg will be taking over the professional training and additional research capacities of the insolvent Lederinstitut Gerberschule Reutlingen (LGR). Since its foundation as German Tanner’s School in 1889 the Freiberg Institute has been Germany’s centre for professional training and research and development for the country’s tanning and leather industry. Due to the division of Germany after World War II the West German tanning and leather industry was cut off from research and education thus leading to the foundation of the LGR as West German tanner’s school following the example of the Freiberg Institute.

In the August edition of Leather International magazine we will be publishing a list of the 20 most influentail people in the leather industry today. We would like you to suggest important people who help shape our industry.

Specialty chemical company Clariant hosted the ModEurop workshop on colours for autumn/winter 2012/13 at its premises in Leinfelden on May 2 and 3, 2011. While the influential colour authority had analysed the basic themes in advance, the workshop provided the opportunity for its members to decide - on the overall colour palette for the season still some eighteen months away.

Cargill Beef Australia and Teys Bros said on May 11 that they have agreed to form a joint-venture company. The new company, pending regulatory approvals, will be a 50-50 joint venture and will trade under the name of ‘Teys Australia – A Cargill Joint Venture’.

The leather gloving industry in Pakistan is claiming that it faces a shutdown because of the shortage of wet-blue split leather coupled with the indifferent attitude of the Government. According to Muhammad Younis, Chairman, Pakistan Gloves Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PGMEA) the leather gloves industry in Pakistan has been facing a serious crisis since 2004-05 when the export of wet-blue split leather began.

The historic tanning town of Lorca located in the southern Spanish region of Murcia was hit by two earthquakes on May 11 in which nine residents were killed.

The 21st Shoes & Leather Guangzhou exhibition (June 1-3) provides Clariant with the opportunity to present details of their latest products to leather-related companies based in southern China.

TFL have released their new TFL Colour Trends catalogue for the season autumn-winter 2012/13. In the catalogue, TFL present the colour trends for the leather garment, footwear, accessory and additionally for the upholstery industry.

Leather International will be hosting a half-day conference in Shanghai on September 5 focussing on the automotive and furniture upholstery sectors in Asia, particularly China. The event will take place in a luxury hotel in Shanghai and is sponsored by BASF.

Representatives of ICT, Cotance and China Leather Industry Association met a delegation representing the Chinese Plastics Association on April 2 in Beijing to discuss labelling and descriptions, and in particular use of the terms synthetic leather and artificial leather. Following the meeting they can report that the discussion was very constructive and further details will be released soon.

In April, TFL do Brasil located in São Leopoldo, RS, successfully went through the re-certification process for ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004.

Leather Naturally! took a major step forward at the recent APLF in Hong Kong. A large number of press meetings, presentations and discussions took place with the main outcome that an Interim Steering Group was established to manage the next steps.

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, announced on May 6 sales of CHF 1.717 billion ($1.95 billion) (CHF 1 = $1.14) for the first quarter of 2011 compared to CHF 1.817 billion in the previous period. Sales growth in local currencies amounted to 5%. Due to the appreciation of the Swiss franc against most major currencies, sales were 6% lower in Swiss francs year-on-year.

Scottish upholstery leather tanner, Bridge of Weir Leather Company is to sponsor the Ben Nevis Centenary Challenge Tour, which will take place from May 16-21.
Bridge of Weir Leather’s historic involvement with the automotive trade spans back to 1911 when their hides were specified for the interior of the Model T Ford. The first Model T production plant outside the US was established at Trafford, Manchester.

Italian leather furniture specialist Natuzzi launched a range of new sofas and accessories at Salone del mobile, Milan April 2011 which are set to hit stores this Autumn. Among the new items previewed at the fair were the versatile Erasmo sofa concept, new storage solutions, funky new chairs, a dining table and sideboard designed by Claudio Bellini and a range of ceramics and sculptural lighting by Giacomo Benevelli. Highlights in leather include:

PrimeAsia have been named the 2010 Under Armour Outdoor Footwear supplier of the year. The recognition is based on the high level of service combined with a focus on product innovation that PrimeAsia brought to Under Armour throughout the year.

Norman Tasman, owner of Tasman Industries, has outlined his plans for the newly acquired Prime Tanning tannery located in Hartland, Maine. ‘Now is the time for the workers at the tannery to show us what they can really do. The tannery has changed ownership several times in recent years and now is the time to build the tannery up to capacity’, Tasman told Leather International.

There is a clear ongoing trend through all furniture and nappa leathers for improved softness and feel. The challenge for the finisher is always to balance out the customer requests for both, the physicals and aesthetics.

With Coripol ALF, TFL launches a lecithin based fatliquor featuring enhanced properties. In addition to the good light and heat fastness of this anionic fatliquor, it supports good tensile strength, tear and stitch-tear resistance which is important for many article-types.

Luxury goods sales are expected to rise 8% in 2011 to €185 billion, as shoppers in fast-growing markets like China and Russia quench their appetite for high-end handbags and clothes, a Bain & Company study released on May 3. Leather products are some of those highlighted in the report.

Leather industry trade show, Le Cuir A Paris will celebrate its 10^th birthday during the forthcoming edition to be held from September 20-22 in Hall 4 of the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre in Paris.

Manually applied pre-basecoats to cover deep defects are common in finishing. Besides their very high upgrading potential, they have also shown their limitations. Under difficult climatic conditions it very often becomes hard to apply them homogeneously and to buff off any surplus.

One of the most frequent questions asked by people who have leather furniture is how to remove stains from pale-coloured leather – in particular the stubborn stains caused by denim. At the Interzum trade fair, specialty chemicals company Lanxess will be showing the furniture industry how the X-Shield anti-soiling system can provide long-lasting protection against stains.

The Bangkok International Fashion Fair and Bangkok International Leather Fair 2011 (BIFF & BIL 2011) achieved an estimated record trade figure of over Baht 700 million (or approximately US$ 24 million) for the textile, garment and leather industry manufacturers and exporters, who participated in the event.

Wolfgang Goerlich, President of the International Council of Tanners (ICT) and the Centre for the Brazilian Leather Industry (CICB) announced further details of the upcoming World Leather Congress during a press conference in Hong Kong on March 30. The one-day World Leather Congress will take place at the Hotel Sofitel, Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro on November 9 and is aiming to attract 300 specialists from across the whole leather supply chain.

In mid-March Frans van den Heuvel led his first Stahl leather finish training course for students at the Institute of Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT), part of the University of Northampton, UK.

There was a full house at the LWG meeting held in Hong Kong on March 29, 2011, which attracted the largest number of attendees to date when 100 representatives of LWG members gathered at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hotel to discuss a full agenda. The meeting venue was hosted by Pentland Group.

Andrew Muirhead & Son, part of Scottish Leather Group, and manufacturers of quality upholstery and sustainable low carbon leather, have recently supplied the leather for both the refurbishment of the Woolwich Suite at Club Level in the Arsenal Emirates Stadium and, along with Bridge of Weir Leather, the Chairman’s Lounge and boardroom at Manchester City Football Club.

A delegation led by Khurshid Alam, Chairman, Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) recently met the Pakistan Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani to discuss the ongoing problems of livestock smuggling out of the country into neighbouring Iran and Afghanistan.

The Executive Committee of the IULTCS announced on April 20, the 2011 winner of the ‘IULTCS Merit Award for Excellence in the Leather Industry’. The winner of this prestigious award is a chemical engineer and leather scientist - Antoni Ylla-Catalá of Spain. He is also a practical tanner and curator of tanning tradition in Spain. Ylla-Catalá spent many years working in tanneries and has much industry experience, but he did find time during his career to publish a number of books and articles related to leather manufacturing. He has also contributed widely to the professional activities of the industry.

The Chinese leather industry in all its forms, from tanning, through chemicals and machinery, to manufacture of retail goods (such as shoes, bags, etc.) remains the market force driving the global industry.

The Indian economy has shown a positive growth with gross domestic product expected to grow at a rate of at 9.2% in year 2010-11. The leather and footwear industry has been growing at over 20% for the period spanning 2008 to 2011 and footwear which has been projected to make up about 60% of the total leather exports by 2011.

The Swiss specialty chemical company Clariant on April 13 that it has published its 2010 Sustainability Report. Over 60 pages, the company describes how sustainability and innovation go hand in hand along Clariant’s entire value chain. The report includes the newly developed Easywhite Tan system and their range of solvent free finishes from the Leather Services Business Unit.

The IULTCS Executive Committee dealt with a packed agenda during their recent meeting held in conjunction with the APLF trade fair in Hong Kong on March 30.

As of April 12 we will be running a competition for a one year free subscription to Leather International if you sign up and follow us on Twitter.

AAQTIC, the Argentine Leather Industry Chemists and Technicians Association, held their first seminar of 2011 on March 17, at their offices in Buenos Aires. The meeting was introduced by AAQTIC, President, Patricia Casey who welcomed everyone.

Stahl will increase prices for several of their Leather Finish and Performance Coatings products, effective May 1 2011 or as contracts allow.

Katsuaki Takeuchi, Executive Director, Tanners’ Council of Japan has confirmed to Leather International that the country’s tanning industry has not been directly affected by the recent earthquake which has devastated the northern coastal region of Japan last month.

Tanners from the tanning cluster of Solofra (Avellino) in Italy have launched their own Eco Leather mark. A group of tanners from the region introduced the mark at the APLF in Hong Kong, March 30 – April 1.

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, announced at the 16th Annual General Meeting each of the resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors had been adopted.

Several interesting observations about this 2011 series of APLF exhibitions, Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T), and Fashion Access (FA), which were co-located with the annual apparel conference, Prime Source Forum.

Picture Postcards are in fashion. They are being used by chemical makers Stahl to create a novel background theme to the new preview of fashion colours for the autumn/winter 2012/13 season. Just as the photographs on holiday postcards recorded the fashions of the time, each image in Stahl’s booklet carries a fashion related message describing thoughts on how colours will relate to fashion trends in the autumn and winter of 2012 and 2013.

As the APLF in Hong Kong drew to a close on April 1 the hottest topic among tanners was concerning the high prices of raw materials. The most happy people at the three-day show were the hide and skin suppliers who have been able to continue to sell at record high levels. With US salted hide prices around $80 each many people were wondering if and when there will be a crash. 'We cannot pass on the additional cost of the raw hides to our customers', Richard Pai, CEO of Joinland Tanning Group, Taiwan, Told Leather International. 'I am going to talk about lifting my leather prices a little with my customers if hide prices to continue rise. There is little profit at the moment,' he added.

This enhanced version of Lectra’s Diamino marker-making equipment features a function to optimise existing markers and puts manufacturers firmly on the path towards increased automation.

By Sam Setter

Damage from a fire at the newly acquired Tasman Leather Group tannery (formerly Prime Tanning Co) in Hartland, Maine on March 22 only did minor damage to the building although firefighters were on the site for about four hours, according to Hartland Volunteer Fire Department Chief Donald Neal.

By Paul O’Sullivan,  Head of Trading, Cornhill FX, London

‘Easy Series’ is the new range of milling drums designed for tanners that are looking for a simplified machine without a full range of technical functions. The drums have been made to make life easier for tanners in a world that is technical and complex.

Supply chain transparency and traceability is becoming more important in today’s global marketplace. With a growing awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility, retailers and brands are requiring assurances about the origin and manufacture of materials and components to ensure that environmental, social and safety standards are met.

APLF – Materials, Manufacturing & Technology (MM&T) are hosting an open debate entitled ‘What’s in a name? – the correct terminology for synthetics and leather’. The event will be held on Day 2 of the up-coming exhibition in Hong Kong.

APLF brings 27 years experience organising trade exhibitions in the fashion, lifestyle and leather sectors. Today, all these sectors are buoyant, due in large part to the frenetic growth in many Asian markets. Visitors will converge on Hong Kong for the annual event held, March 30 – April 1.

Lanxess achieved very good results in 2010 due to its strategic set-up and the general recovery in business. Sales in 2010 rose 41% year-on-year to €7.1 billion, driven by strong volume growth and price increases.

Get more information at the Sourcing, Safety and Sustainability Conference, Hong Kong, March 31.

Professor Tony Covington, School of Science and Technology for the University of Northampton has been awarded the Alsop Award in recognition for his contribution to the leather industry. The award, from the American Leather Chemists Association (ALCA), comes just weeks after the news that Professor Covington is also set to become the world’s very first Doctor of Science Degree (DSc) graduate in Leather Technology.

Friendship Tannery, a new tannery being built by Chinese investors in Ethiopia with a soaking capacity of 15,000 hides and skins per day, is expected to start production in April 2011.
The Friendship Tannery is built on 40,000 sq m site in Modjo, which is located 83 kilometres from Addis Ababa.

The India Trade Promotion Organisation have announced two new international trade for the leather products industry. They set to take place in October 2011 in New Delhi.

The city of Rio de Janeiro has been chosen to host the World Leather Congress (WLC) on November 9, 2011. WLC is an official event organised by the International Council of Tanners (ICT) with support from the Centre for the Brazilian Tanning Industry (CICB) and Couromoda Trade Fairs.

With Coripol BZE, TFL have introduced a sustainable and economical fatliquor with excellent characteristics. The good light and heat fastness properties of this anionic fatliquor make the product extremely suitable for the production of shoe leather with high performance requirements.

A half-day conference for responsible solutions for the leather supply chain, Hong Kong – March 31, 2011. A major element of any sustainable product is consideration of the environmental footprint of materials and processes used during the product lifecycle. In addition, due care and attention must be given to the chemical inputs so that the manufacturers and consumers and the environment at large are protected from harmful substances.

For the first time, this year’s Leather Finishing Course run by Stahl at the Lederinstitut Gerberschule Reutlingen in Germany was led by Frans van den Heuvel, from Stahl Europe in Waalwijk.

The University of Northampton’s Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) is launching new programmes for 2011 and 2012 designed to deliver their world renowned leather courses internationally, so that they are available at the point of demand in a format which is appropriate to market requirements, wherever that market may be. This includes a new flexible, blended learning BSc in Leather Technology.

Apple, one of the most sought after and iconic brands have announced that their new iPad 2 will be available with an optional leather cover.

The Ethiopian leather industry celebrated the 4th edition of the All African Leather Fair from March 1-3. Apart from organisational glitches like the non-availability of access to the Internet, lack of sockets for the connection of computers for most of the stands and the lighting not working on many stands until the evening of the first day, the fair was commercially a resounding success.

Specialty chemicals company Lanxess is to increase their prices worldwide for acrylic-acid-based leather chemicals effective March 1, 2011, in response to steeply rising raw material costs. The price for acrylate binders is to be increased by at least 10% while polymer tanning materials will go up by 40%.

Indian leather finishing chemical makers, C&E have constructed a new plant to produce PU binders for the leather industry within their leather chemical finishing factory at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh at the foothills of the Himalayas. C&E say that this is the first plant in India to produce polyurethane binders in the country using European technology.

According to the website; www.chinaleather.org changes to import and export tariffs for leather previously announced and effective from January 1, 2011 have been summerised:

Ring Group, the German engineering company famous for their leather perforation machinery have acquired the tannery equipment makers, Dose.

USA based leather chemical maker, Buckman announced on February 23 a global price increase on products and programs to all market segments of 5% to 15% depending on the specific product or program  and region of the world. These include the Pulp and Paper, Industrial Water, Leather, and Performance Chemicals Segments.

A 12-page booklet on the new REACh regulations has been produced by Stahl to help customers in the leather and coatings industries in understanding the impact of the new European Community REACh regulations on their business.

Outdoor performance footwear manufacturer, brasher, is set to extend its range of shearling lined women’s boots for autumn/winter 2011, following strong winter sales. The company has also announced that Marco Ellerker will take over as Managing Director from March 7, 2011.

Turnover was up 30% from German tanners in 2010 compared with 2009 it has been revealed in the latest sector statistics from the German Tanners’ Association – Verband der Deutschen Lederindustrie.

Leading experts and brands to speak at the Hong Kong event to held on March 31, 2011. In today’s discerning and complex global marketplace, sourcing, safety and sustainability are three key elements in all areas of the leather supply chain from raw materials through to retail.

The 20th edition of Le Cuir A Paris, took place in Paris, February 8-10 and confirmed the continuing economic recovery which was first observed in last September’s edition. The show took place in a positive mood say the show organisers, SIC Group.

Clariant, the international specialty chemicals company, announced on February 16, 2010 sales totaling CHF 7.120 billion ($7.3 billion), compared to CHF 6.614 billion ($6.81 billion) in 2009. This represents an increase of 13% in local currency and 8% in Swiss francs. Sales in the Leather Services Business Unit were down compared with the previous year although the operating margin was up thanks to cost savings and restructuring.

Modacalzado + Iberpiel, the International Footwear and Leather Goods Trade Fair, an event organised by IFEMA in collaboration with the Spanish Footwear Industries Federation (FICE), will feature the participation of a number of prestigious international footwear brands at its twenty-sixth edition, which is due to take place between March 13-15. These companies will take part at the fair for the first time in order to present their collections to the Spanish market.

Following a meeting of local residents in the town of Hartland, Maine, Tasman Industries have acquired Prime Tanning for $6.5 million.

Leather chemical makers, Trumpler have recently expanded the capacity of their fatliquor production plant at their headquarters in Worms, Germany.

Up to 15 out of 22 tanners located along the river Ganges near the Indian city of Kanpur have recently been forced to shut down by local environmental inspectors over high levels of pollution. Leather International understands that all the tanneries are now operating again after having their power supply cut-off.

M Rafeeque Ahmed, founder and Chairman of the Indian leather and footwear group, Farida and the current Chairman of the Indian Council for Leather Exports (CLE) has been awarded a prestigious, 'Padma Shri' award by the Indian government. He was recently presented with the award at a ceremony in New Delhi and is regarded as one of the highest honours that the Indian government can award.

Swiss drum and automation specialists, Hüni have dramatically increased their sales and production of large polypropylene (PPH) drums. The demand for replacement or transformation of wooden drums continues to rise.

French luxury goods company Hermes International have reported a 25% jump in sales last year and raised its profit guidance, further illustrating the industry's strong end-of-the-year performance.

Professor Tony Covington, Emeritus Professor of Leather Science at The University of Northampton, is set to graduate for the third time this year - and become the world’s very first Doctor of Science (DSc) graduate in Leather Technology.

The Prime Tanning plant in Hartland, Maine could have a new owner anytime in the next few days.

No sooner have the products, trends, and colours of leather been absorbed by those who attended the APLF - MM&T exhibition last year than the 2011 event is fast approaching.

Leather chemical makers, DyStar are celebrating one year of operation under their new owners, Kiri Dyes & Chemicals and the Lonsen Group it was announced on February 4.

Matthias Zachert, member of the Board of Management and Chief Financial Officer of Lanxess is to step down as of March 31. He will be replaced by Dr Bernhard Düttmann, previously Member of the Board of Management and Chief Financial Officer of Beiersdorf, Hamburg. He will be appointed Member of the Board of Management and Chief Financial Officer as of April 1, 2011.

Coming Ind. e Com. de Couros have been rated with a Leather Working Group (LWG) silver certificate by BLC Leather Technology Centre. The rating was given to Coming last December following a tannery environment audit.

The first day of the India International Leather (IILF) fair took on February 1 at the Chennai Trade Centre. The 26^th edition is the biggest ever with over 400 exhibitors and the aisles were crowded with local and international visitors.

Sustainable development is a key issue for the future of industry and society. It is also one of the prime corporate objectives of the Lanxess specialty chemicals group. This is reflected in the new holistic initiative ‘Sustainable Leather Management’ that has now been launched by the company’s Leather business unit. ‘This initiative will lay the foundation on which we build our unique technology platform for sustainable solutions’, explains Dr Dietrich Tegtmeyer, Vice President Product Development and Application in Lanxess’ Leather business unit.

Following a pre-budget discussion between the new Chairman of the Indian Council for Leather Exports (CLE), Rafeeque Ahmed and the Indian Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on January 11, the CLE called for a scheme to develop Mega Leather clusters throughout the country. The CLE have requested that the investment form part of the Indian Union budget for 2011-12.

The 26th India International Leather Fair in Chennai will be inaugurated by Virbhadra Singh, Indian Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) on January 31. The ceremony will take at the Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, Chennai and the fair will take place from January 31 to February 3.

AAQTIC, the Argentine Leather Industry Chemists and Technicians Association, have published a new report on the current situation of slaughter and livestock numbers in Argentina on their website. The report is available in both English and Spanish.

Coach, a leading global marketer of modern classic American accessories such as leather goods, bags and accessories announced on January 25 sales of $1.26 billion for its second fiscal quarter ended January 1, 2011, compared with $1.07 billion reported in the same period of the prior year, an increase of 19%. Net income for the quarter totaled $303 million, with earnings per diluted share of $1.00.

Scandinavian raw material traders, Norilia have established a new subsidiary company called Scapo Hides. The new company will have its head office in Sweden and will mainly be trading hides and skins from Scandinavia and Poland. It will be completely owned by Norilia AS.

From September 2012 The University of Northampton, UK will offer their undergraduate programmes in Leather Technology internationally by flexible modes of learning. This will be achieved through the new Institute for Creative Leather Technologies.

Global leather chemical makers Clariant are now focusing on phase two of REACh legislation following its successful completion of the registration of 152 substances required under phase one by the December 1, 2010 deadline. Phase two, which concerns more than 300 chemicals, should be completed by June 1, 2013.

Atlas Refinery, manufacturer of environmentally friendly fatliquors and specialty chemicals for the leather industry, have promoted Steven B Schroeder, Jr. to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer.  The promotion ensures the heritage of Schroeder family leadership at Atlas will continue well into the 5^th generation.

Indian leather finishing chemical makers, C&E have constructed a new plant to produce PU binders for the leather industry within their leather chemical finishing factory at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. C&E say that this is the first plant in India to produce polyurethane binders in the country using European technology.

The 26th India International Leather Fair (IILF) will be held in Chennai from January 31 to February 3, 2011, at the Chennai Trade Centre. IILF, an annual event, is one of the premier exhibitions organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation in collaboration with Council for Leather Exports (CLE) in the leather industry.

High raw hide prices increase the need for tanners to make more out of the valuable hides as the most significant contributor to leather costs.

Italian finishing equipment makers, Gemata will be highlighting and promoting an innovative solution for upgrading splits at the IILF 2011. Ideal for upgrading automotive upholstery this process allows the finisher to apply a base coat on wet stucco.

Lanxess will be presenting premium products for the manufacture of shoe upper, upholstery and automotive leathers at the IILF 2011. Jürgen Hackenbroich, regional head of the Leather business unit for Asia Pacific, says: ‘Sustainability is our priority when developing products. By that we mean not just minimising waste but maximising product safety and ensuring that we comply with REACh. We also develop modern, energy-saving processes that conserve natural resources and avoid the use of critical raw materials.’

The Indian Leather Industry has been touching new heights and is expected to grow further in the future. Dutch leather chemical makers, Smit & Zoon, Smit Finishing and their agents have decided, for the first time, to have a stand at the India International Leather Fair in Chennai.

At the IILF in Chennai for 2011, BASF focuses on delivering high performance and environment-friendly solutions for their customers.

APLF organises the international trade fair, Hong Kong-based APLF – Materials Manufacturing and Technology (March 30 – 1 April 1, 2011), known for offering high-quality, innovative products and fashion-forward trends. Simultaneously held are Fashion Access, the bi-annual fair showcasing head-to-toe fashion products, and Prime Source Forum, the annual meeting place for the global apparel industry.

Messe Düsseldorf , the shoe fair organisers of GDS – International Event for Shoes & Accessories have redesigned and re-launched their website. At the address www.gds-online.com  interested users can learn about and experience exciting new content of interest for what they term ‘profashionals’ all year round.

Modacalzado + Iberpiel, the International Footwear and Leather Goods Trade Fair, an event organised by IFEMA, have pushed back the dates of their September 2011 edition, which means that the fair will now take place on September 11-13 (Sunday to Tuesday).

The Stop Global Warming Association is threatening to file a civil lawsuit against some tanners in Samut Prakan province if they fail to ease the problem of foul odours in the area. The association's president, Srisuwan Janya, issued the threat after inspecting the Bang Pu area. The inspection took place after Greenpeace Southeast Asia filed a complaint about factories polluting the area according to The Nation, published on January 12.

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials such as textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials have announced their participation, as a member of the Founders' Committee, in the creation of a new Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness in Paris.

The death of Jean Heyer has been announced with deep regret from Stahl. Heyer had been fighting a serious illness for some time. After an initial recovery there was a relapse and he sadly died on January 10, at the exceptionally early age of 56.

Upholstery leather makers, GST AutoLeather announced on January 3, the completion of their acquisition of Seton Company, a major supplier of upholstery leather. The latest announcement includes Seton’s European and South African operations.

BLC - Leather Technology Centre are co-hosting a half-day international conference ‘Sourcing, Safety and Sustainability in the leather and materials supply chain’. The conference will take place during the APLF in Hong Kong on March 31, 2011.

US leather maker, Prime Tanning could be put on sale at auction next month according to reports in local newspapers located in Hartland, Maine. The auction could take place as soon as the beginning of February.

Indian leather chemical makers, Vishnu Chemicals have appointed of Lee Iwan as Commercial Manager for North and Latin America. Iwan will be responsible for coordinating all business development, sales and marketing activities for Vishnu Chemicals in North America and Latin America. Iwan assumed his new role on January 1, 2011 and report to Siddhartha Cherukuri, Director of Vishnu Chemicals.

The International Golf Championship of the Shoe, Leather and Allied Trades in 2011 is to be held in Cheshire, June 15-17 at the De Vere Carden Park, set in some of Cheshire’s most beautiful countryside, on a site dating back to the 17^th century. In the last few years nearly £10 million ($15 million) has been invested in the hotel and golf facilities.

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions for industries using soft materials—textiles, leather, industrial fabrics and composites—have announced January 5 that Lectra Fashion PLM V2R2, its product lifecycle management solution designed specifically for the fashion industries, has just been awarded certification of the Technology Evaluation Centers (TEC). Lectra Fashion PLM is the only solution to have achieved TEC certification in the fashion and fashion products and accessories distribution sectors.

220 abstracts have been received by the Scientific Committee of the XXXI IULTCS International Congress, to be held in Valencia, Spain in September 27-30, 2011.

Stahl have renamed their Colours & Tanning Products Division to the more appropriate Wet-End Division.

A ceremony was held on December 30 in Fuxin, Liaoning Province China, marking the completion of Shanghai Richina Leather’s new wet-blue facility. Fuxin Vice Mayor Ma Rujun and SRL’s COO Robert Liu hosted the event and led a delegation of company and Fuxin government officials in celebrating the occasion.

Tata International (TIL) announced on December 27 that they had acquiried76% stake in Chennai-based footwear companies, Bachi Shoes India (BSIPL) and Euro Shoe Components (ESCPL). However, the financial details were not disclosed by the company.

Effective December 31, 2010, Werner Kleinloh left TFL and resigned from his position as CEO as well as Chairman of the Management Board.

Shortly before Christmas, leather chemical makers, Stahl held its first ever meeting for technicians based in South America. The laboratory at Stahl Brasil’s headquarters proved to be the perfect location not only for the local technicians but also for those who had travelled from Stahl locations in Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Delegates also represented distributors in Chile/Peru/Bolivia and in Ecuador.

Welcome to the new look website of Leather International magazine, the leading open access portal for the international leather industry. Over the past few weeks we have upgraded our website to make it look cleaner, fresher and more user friendly. www.leathermag.com can also show online video content as well as links to social media such as Linkedin.

Christian Roos, the current Managing Director and shareholder of Germany based leather chemical maker, Trumpler is to retire on December 31, 2010 and take up a position on the board of the Trumpler group of companies.

AAQTIC, the Argentine Leather Chemists and Technicians Association held their 3^rd National Technical Symposium on November 25-26 at Paseo La Plaza, Corrientes, Buenos Aires.

The Leathersellers’ Company in London is relocating owing to the re-development of their offices at St Helen’s Place over the next 4 years.

TFL have published the latest edition of their TFL Eco Guidelines. This publication is the third in series that TFL is preparing in order to enhance the understanding of ecological aspects in leather manufacturing.

Louis Vuitton Malletier SA is asking the US International Trade Commission to open a Section 337 investigation against companies spread across China, and the US states of Texas and California for allegedly making, distributing or selling knock-off handbags, luggage, accessories and packaging.

Clariant Business Unit Leather Services announced on December 16 price increases for its product ranges of 6% to 12%.

Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd will showcase a full range of products at the IILF which takes place in Chennai, January 31 – February 3. This includes their new EasyWhite Tan process based on Granofin Easy F-90. A sustainable tanning process, the organic compound used is metal-, aldehyde and formaldehyde-free and the system radically simplifies the production of leather by removing three process stages and eliminating the need for added salt.

The Hermes family announced on December 5 that they will create a family holding firm with more than 50% of Hermes International's capital but said the move would have no effect on their stake in the French luxury company, which is most famous for high-end leather goods and clothing.

The Genuine Leather Mark (GLM), the certification trademark owned by China Leather Industry Association, which represents the products that are made from high quality natural leather.

Cotance have reported that member countries of the European Tanning Industry have embarked on a process of highlighting improvements in social accountability and environmental performance. The Social Partners of the Leather/Tanning Industry at European level signed in 2000 an ambitious Social Code of Conduct for the sector and in 2008 a Framework Agreement on Social & Environmental Reporting was drafted. European Tanners want to be perceived as frontrunners in social and environmental excellence say Cotance.

The US arm of international tanning group, Zenda Leather have won the third annual Sage Award recognising excellence in home furnishings through sustainable business practices. Zenda make and supply leather for the furniture and automotive industries.

German specialty chemicals group Lanxess announced on December 9 that they have taken another step on their expansion plans in China. The company will invest about €30 million in a plant for leather chemicals to be built in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China.

Lectra, a leading manufacturer of cutting equipment for soft materials such as textiles, leather, industrial fabrics and composite materials have announced the sale of their thousandth latest-generation Vector machine. Since the original Vector was launched in 1993 almost 5000 units have been sold worldwide.

Footwear and upholstery leather makers, Vitapelli have announced that they are laying off around 800 workers from their tannery and finishing plant in President Prudente (558 km from São Paulo). The company, which also produces pet products, is looking to reduce their count down from the current level of approximately 2200 to around 1400-1500.

The plan to build a leather park in Guigang city, Guangxi province was adopted at meeting that was held on November 26. Guigang Vice Party Secretary and Vice Mayor, Chen Dingyuan took part in the project evaluation meeting. Guigang is located in the southeastern Guangxi province, on the upper reaches of the Xijiang River, the Pearl River Basin.

Bridge of Weir Leather Company (BoW), part of Scottish Leather Group, manufacturers of upholstery leather, have donated hides from their Grampian range in Stone Grey for use on the banquette seating in the refurbishment of UK celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver's restaurant, Fifteen London.

Preparations for the 111th GDS – International Event for Shoes & Accessories are well underway. From March 16-18, 2011 the Dusseldorf Exhibition Centre will once again become the sectoral meeting point and information platform for the international shoe business. Some 780 exhibitors from over 30 countries will be presenting to the international trade audience their shoe, bag and accessories collections for the 2011/12 season.

More than 130 abstracts have been received so far by the Scientific Committee of the XXXI IULTCS International Congress, to be held in Valencia, Spain in September 27-30, 2011.

The Leather Engineering Institutes is aiming to provide full technical service facilities for leather industry in the new Fuxin Leather Complex in Northern China.

Italian leather chemical makers, Kemia Tau, who are headquartered near Turin, have introduced a new range of leather finishing products, dyes and pigments. Kemia Tau have traditionally been known as a supplier of wet-end products but decided to produce their own finishing range following requests from customers. The new line is known as Tau Finish and Solar Finish dyes and Solar Pigments.

Shengda Tannery are a leading leather maker located in the Xinshi town of Deqing. Deqing is located on the central eastern coast of China near the city of Hangzhou. Their overseas sourcing of raw materials amounted to US$30 million in the first three quarters of 2010 compared with none imported in the same period of 2009.

The Binzhou area of Shandong province in North Eastern China is looking to attract tanners into the area say www.chinaleather.org Binzhou authorities want to take advantage of local cattle farming and meat processing industries.

A federal bankruptcy court has approved Prime Tanning's request to borrow $550,000 from the Maine Rural Development Authority to continue operating while restructuring. They announced on November 16 that the company had filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court in Bangor, Maine.

Patent leather is always in the fashion focus of shoe designers and manufacturers - sometimes more, sometimes less - but is always in demand. Therefore a great deal of effort has been put into the development of an aqueous alternative for the purely solvent-based patent top coats of the past. Clariant’s Melio 09-T-42 provides tangible benefits over other products currently available.

Scottish Leather Group Limited (SLG), won the ‘Best Environmental Performance’ Award at the 2010 ROCCO Awards, (Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards), held in Scotland on November 12.

US leather makers, Prime Tanning, located in Hartland, Maine announced on November 16 that the company had filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court in Bangor, Maine. Prime Tanning Co which includes Prime Tanning, Berwick and Prime Tanning Corp, St Joesph, Missouri also filed petitions for relief under chapter 11. Legal costs associated with the litigation surrounding their former plant in Missouri and the 2008 closure of their plant in Berwick have been highlighted as significant contributing factors leading to the chapter 11 filing.

UK leather makers, Pittards have secured a deal to supply leather to Otto Kessler glove makers based in Pecs, Hungary, in support of a four year UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) military contract. The contract follows the launch of a new camouflage leather developed at Pittards' research department in Yeovil, Somerset. The contract is said to be worth seven figures and Pittards’ share price rose 10% on the news.

Around 80% of exhibitors have already confirmed their participation for the forthcoming edition of Le Cuir A Paris, February 8-10, 2011. The next edition will see ten new companies coming from Spain, Italy, Brazil and Turkey to present their summer collections. Antiba, an Italian tannery, and Textil’In from Spain return to exhibit.

Argentina based tanning group Sadesa say that It has come to their attention that a company based in New Zealand has registered under the name of Sadesa Limited and states to have as their main line of business the trading of hides, crust and finished leather, mainly for the shoe- and auto-industries.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources released their findings at a public meeting on November 8 following allegations that the spreading of tannery sludge had caused health problems to residents who lived near farmland close to the former Prime Tanning site in St Joesph.

The 12th Dongguan China Shoes and China Shoetec (autumn edition) successfully concluded at GD Modern International Exhibition Centre, Houjie, Dongguan on October 30. The three-day exhibition was positive in terms of atmosphere, trading volume and concurrent activities say the organisers.

International chemical maker, Lanxess on November 10 reported third quarter sales of euro 1.85 billion, up 35% year-on-year. Net profit was euro 118 million compared with euro 23 million in 2009.

French luxury brand, Hermes International, have reported, November 9, positive third quarter results thanks to strong leather goods sales. The company say that they expect a 15% rise in sales for the full year.

Clariant have launched Melio Aquabase EF and HF, their two new tailor-made leather pre-coatings designed to bring out the natural beauty of leather and achieve maximum cutting yield.

Bridge of Weir Leather Company, a subsidiary of Scottish Leather Group who specialise in high performance leather for the automotive industry, have appointed David Bird as quality director and Simon Cook as technical director. Bird has also been appointed to the board for one of the Groups tanneries, NCT Leather.

TFL have released their new TFL Colour Trends catalogue for the season spring-summer 2012. In the catalogue, TFL present the colour trends for the leather garment, footwear, accessory and additionally for the upholstery industry.

Xueke Tannery located in Xinjian are investing 30 million yuan ($4.5 million) to expand the tannery process to produce crust. The investment includes new tanning machinery which will be imported. Initial trial production runs are set to begin in mid November, and over 100 million yuan ($15 million) of additional output value is expected when the crust operations begin.

Modacalzado & Iberpiel, the International Footwear and Leather Goods Trade Fair, an event organised by IFEMA, have announced revised dates for its next edition. After meeting in October, the Organising Committees for the two exhibitions decided that they would delay staging the first edition of the year by one day, which means that the event will take place between March 13-15, 2011 at Feria de Madrid.

In October 2010, TFL Argentina successfully received their re-registration according to the ISO 9001:2008 Standard. All quality processes were re-examined in all areas for compliance with the current standard.

According to a statement on the website www.fashionnetasia.com leather industry exhibition organisers, APLF have agreed an initial sponsorship of Leather Naturally! APLF have been involved with the global leather industry since 1984 when its first fair was held in Hong Kong. After 27 years of serving the industry and being part of it APLF it announced on November 3 that it will be sponsoring the Leather Naturally! initiative along with other key players.

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, including leather chemicals, on November 3 announced sales of CHF 1.71 billion ($1.74 billion) for the third quarter of 2010 compared to CHF 1.69 billion ($1.72 billion) year on year. Sales growth in local currency amounted to 8%. Due to the appreciation of the Swiss Franc against most major currencies, sales growth in Swiss Francs was reduced to 1%.

Kiri Holding, owner of DyStar Colours Distribution and DyStar Colours Deutschland, have acquired all the DyStar companies in the USA and Canada. The deal took effect from October 29. DyStar CEO Steve Barron: ‘I am more than happy that DyStar LP will join the DyStar Group. This allows us to further develop the DyStar business in the USA, Canada and Central America and grow our relationship with US retailers.’ Dystar are currently manufacturing many of their leather chemical ranges out of the Reidsville plant in North Carolina.

The Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) held a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani and key ministers on October 27 to discuss major issues being faced by the leather sector including smuggling.

 Salmaan Taseer, Governor of the Punjab region of Pakistan, who was at the meeting said that he would try to get all the genuine problems of the leather industry resolved and he would take up the issues at the next federal cabinet meeting.

The IULTCS (International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies) and other leather organisations in the EU have written to the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) to propose the redefinition of the words or phrases for ‘non-leather’ materials.

For the quarter ended October 2, US luxury leather goods maker, Coach posted earnings of $188.9 million up from $140.8 million a year earlier. Revenue jumped 20% to $911.7 million.

The International Union of Shoe Industry Technicians (UITIC) have elected Yves Morin as their new President at the 17th International Congress held in Léon, Mexico on October 8-9. Morin succeeds César Orgiles the former president since 1991 and currently General Manager of the Spanish Footwear Institute Inescop.

The 31st IULTCS (International Union of Leather Technologists & Chemists Societies) international congress will be held in Valencia, September 27-30, 2011. The organisers of the congress, Aqeic, have requested that all abstracts should be submitted by November, 15, 2010 in order to be considered.

Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant continue to strengthen their presence in China with the official opening of their new Greater China headquarters in Shanghai on October 20, 2010. The new facility also includes a new technical application centre for pigments. Clariant further announced the start-up of its new Quinacridon pigment joint venture in Hangzhou. China is also seen as an important market for the company’s Leather Services Business Unit.

Stahl announced on October 21 that they intend to increase prices for several of their leather finish and performance coatings products, effective December 1 2010, or as contracts allow.

Italian tanning company, Rino Mastrotto Group, located in Arzignano have acquired Elmo Leather which went into adminsitration earlier this month. Leather International contacted Elmo who said that a buyer would be announced today. That has now been confirmed as Rino Mastrotto.

The international footwear brand ECCO have developed their own leathers and trend collections with an innovative development process called ‘Hot Shop’, where designers, brands, technicians and brand specialists are developing the future for specific brands. Click on the YouTube link:  to see how the company who produce their own leathers from tanneries in Indonesia, China, Thailand and the Netherlands utilise ‘Hot Shop’.