The Leather Research Laboratory at the University of Cincinnati has announced that it will host several educational opportunities in 2016.

A two-day Leather Orientation Course will take place at the Leather Research Laboratory on the campus of the University of Cincinnati on 27-28 April and 17-18 August and will cover a wide range of leather-related issues such as physical structure, species identification, hide supply, wet-end and finishing operations, regulations, testing and customer acceptance issues. Attendees will also be given an in-depth tour of the Leather Research Laboratory.

The new Quality Assurance for Leather Workshop on 18-19 May and 14-15 September is designed for individuals working in the leather industry that need a comprehensive understanding of the best quality control methods for quality leather production. This course will be a blend of class room instruction along with significant time for hands-on application in the laboratory. Participants will be able to perform many of these quality tests and techniques on the provided leather samples or on their own samples. Course materials will include a copy of the book Skin, Hide and Leather Defects by Jean Tancous.

The 1.5-day Leather Buyers Conference on 26-27 July is intended for individuals responsible for sourcing decisions within their organization. Attendees will learn the key skills necessary to intelligently source leather and avoid common pitfalls that can cost your company money. This conference will have presentations by representatives from the Leather Research Laboratory, the Washington DC based law firm, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Stephan Sothmann from the US Hide, Skin and Leather Association and seasoned industry professional David Peters.

A more detailed agenda for these programmes can be found at www.leatherusa.org under the Lab News button.