Satra and the US-based Timberland Corporation are working together to train and accredit throughout the footwear supply chain. Companies who supply leather to Timberland’s manufacturing contractors have set up laboratories capable of undertaking a series of tests to confirm that the quality of the material meets that specified by Timberland’s designers and technologists.
The first two * Teh Chang in Taiwan and Joinland in China * have just been accredited by Satra. This means that their laboratory equipment, technicians, testing methods and quality management system have been evaluated by the UK technology centre’s auditors and proved to have reached the required standards. The key tests involve the tear strength and colour fastness of the leather, together with an evaluation of its chemical content.
Satra leather specialist Graham Rowley was instrumental in creating this standards programme with Timberland. Rick LaTouch, Timberland’s leather specialist, says: ‘Using Satra to train the laboratory personnel, set up testing methods and standards and provide accreditation gives us confidence that the key aspects of material quality are being correctly managed.’
