Tanneries and locations: There are 3 tanneries in the Tyche Leather group, one of which is under construction.
- 1. Tyche Wenzhou, China
- 2. Tyche Tainan, Taiwan
- 3. Tyche Fujian, China (under construction)
- 4. Sun Lots (co-owner), Taiwan and China
- 5. Tonghong (co-owner), 2 plants in China and 1 in Vietnam
Production: Tyche specialise in producing footwear upper and lining leathers for major international footwear brands. They process 8 million square feet per month using mostly US raw hides. However, they also process some calf and kip skins as well as sheepskins. Some leathers are also produced for garment and upholstery leather customers.
Tannery employees: 1200 (Tyche only)
Key customers/brands: Wolverine, Cat, Merrell, Sketchers, Timberland, Red Wing, Rocky, Ariat, Columbia, Polo, J&M, Clarks, Rockport, Justin, Brown Shoe, Deckers, Danner, HH Brown, Jimlar, New Balance, Converse
Other information: Jen Yang has been in the leather business for 50 years and the first Tyche tannery was built in Taiwan 30 years ago. The company has grown steadily over the years to become one of the foremost upper leather tanners in the world. Yang is still involved in the business today and the second generation of the family is also involved. Jen Yang is also the co-founder of the Taiwanese Leather Association and is currently president. He was also one of the first Taiwanese tanners to realise the opportunities of leathermaking in Mainland China and today Tyche are the largest privately owned non-Chinese tannery in Wenzhou. Tyche Leather Group are currently constructing their third tannery in China, which is due to begin production in early 2010.
As well as Tyche, Jen Yang also has co-ownership in Sun Lots and the Tonghong Leather Group which are also major tanning groups in their own right.
