ISO 2000 standard for Turkish leather companies

Several of Türkiye's oldest and most respected leather producers are adopting the ISO quality management standard. In the past, the sector accepted their inability to implement standard or uniform classifications. 'We are dealing with an animal, a living organism, a complex protein', was the familiar defence. But service-orientated businesses now see advantages in telling customers and regulatory bodies that they have a uniform, recognised standard. Guidelines for preservation methods, identifying defects, trimming specifications and grading norms are but a few of the fields required for hides and skins. The original ISO 9001, 9002 and 9003 have been integrated into a new category: ISO 9001:2000, firms shorten this to 'ISO 2000'. The new format links better with other management systems, such as environmental or safety ones. In Tuzla, chemical newcomers, Burboya of Bursa are laying the framework to gain the standard. Sepiciler, a 70-year old producer of shoe uppers near Izmir, have already acquired it. After moving into their new factory in Corlu, Yesiller Deri Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd Sirketi view quality management as a means to complement their global outlook and $20 million turnover. In Türkiye, it is safe to say that the vision of a few soon turns into the goal for many.