Footwear - Leather - PPE Industry News & Articles
- Sam Setter's 'Pills'"Bangladesh unravellingThe leather industry in Bangladesh is slowly, slowly disintegrating. Their tanneries in the Hemayelpur area, which is part of the Savar Industrial Complex, are suffering from a non-functional common effluent treatment plant, hence European importers and brands are avoiding buying from them. The only chance to e ...moreParagon adds PPE reseller division to footwear factoryPietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – Footwear manufacturer Paragon Footwear (Pty) Ltd has launched a PPE division, trading as Paragon PPE, and headed by director Dione Govender.Paragon PPE is an online reseller of a large range of leading brands of safety footwear, workwear, and branded corporate clothing and accessories. – Website www ...moreThe shoe count: It’s still Asics’ showThe official Comrades Marathon shoe count – based on entry forms – shows no real surprises.Asics, with 34%, remains the comfortable leader. Adidas, New Balance, and Nike were the only others to reach double figures.“My only doubt is the Adidas figure,” said The Sweatshop’s Jax Snyman. “They were footwea ...moreFalke: Clawing back market share with Mikado brandPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Over the past year, Falke Hosiery SA has been repurposing its Mikado stocking hosiery brand to include a medium-price sock range aimed at the domestic market.While over 80% of its Falke-branded technical sock production – which includes sports socks for running, skiing and hiking, with patented left- an ...moreTifosi: Getting It ONWas the expo well organised? Siphiwe Maseko: From set up everything went well, our setup crew were there to assist on the set up and any changes to be made on the spot were fulfilled swiftly to make sure the display was in order. The Expo started on time and the influx of runners brought the vibe. The organisers made it to manoeuvre the e ...moreThe non-athletic exhibitors at ComradesThe Department of Trade, Industry and Competition sponsors local manufacturers of non-sports products to exhibit at the Comrades Expo. This year, that group included: ...moreWaterkloof Golf Club opts for petrol carts over electricPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Waterkloof Golf Club has opted for reliability and ease of operation of its golf cart fleet as it switches to petrol-powered Club Car carts with roomy and comfortable interiors for its members.The new carts are made in the USA with large-framed golfers in mind and boast advanced suspension setups to soak up a ...moreBirkenstock shines, but let’s not forget the journeyBirkenstock’s recent performance is impressive. Some key financial highlights for the three months ended March 31, 2024, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2023, include:* Revenue of €481.2 million, representing an increase of 23%.* Strong double-digit revenue growth across all segments, including reven ...moreHoka — from running niche to lifestyle phenomenonA Story of Growth and TransformationHoka, founded in 2009 in France and acquired by Deckers Brands in 2013, has revolutionized the athletic footwear market with its signature “maximalist” shoes featuring oversized midsoles. Its annual sales for the year ending March 31, 2024, reached $1.807 billion, a 27.9% surge, showcasing i ...moreUnder Armour’s struggle to regain its premium statusUnder Armour, once a leading athletic apparel brand, has been facing a significant decline in sales and profitability. Despite a healthy turnover of $1.33 billion for the period ending Q4 2024, the company’s sales have dropped by 5% compared to the same period last year. Additionally, its net income has plummeted to $6.6 million fro ...moreRetirement: ‘A long and mostly enjoyable journey’Durban, KZN, SA – After 33 years at the Leather Bargaining Council and at the ripe age of 63 years, the curtains have finally come down. My stint as the General Secretary of the Council and Principal Officer of the Leather Industry Provident Fund comes to an end on 31 May 2024.I had a long journey that was mostly enjoyable and at ti ...moreHi-Tec acquisition of Trappers – incremental improvements, not rapid growthThe acquisition of Trappers Outdoor by Hi-Tec Sports Distributors was reported in S&V Newsletter on 10 June. Here, Hi-Tec CEO Gary de Vogel replies to questions on the effect of the acquisition. ...moreTechnical running exhibitorsThe days when most running shoe and apparel brands had stands at the Comrades Expo are over. That side is now dominated by race sponsor Mr Price Sport, which runs a retail outlet at the fair. There were some running shoe and apparel brands exhibiting, including distributor Tifosi Sports, promoting the Swiss shoe brand, On, distributor Sti ...moreItalian footwear industry: Turnover (-10.1) and exports (-9.7) fall in the first quarter of 2024Milan, Italy (25 June 2024) – The Italian footwear industry experienced a sharp slowdown in the first quarter of 2024, recording a drop in both exports (-9.7% in value and -10.3% in pairs) and turnover (-10.1%). This scenario emerges from the latest report produced by Centro Studi Confindustria Moda for Assocalzaturifici, which also ...moreNTE Company: More pressure to meet demand as flood knocks out Brazilian producerPietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – Wattle extract producer NTE Company, already under pressure because of global demand, says it is getting calls from customers of Brazilian extract producer Tanac S.A. following floods which have put its plant out of commission.“Tanac is a diversified business,” said NTE GM Nigel Payne, “ ...moreFinding our industry voice…In the last week no less than three companies have spoken with SLF about the lack of industry cohesiveness when it comes to external representation. Complaints that our existing support organisations are not doing enough to ensure the industry’s opinions and concerns at inter-governmental level are regularly heard. ...moreDISINTEGRATION 2023In 2023, there were some major changes to the ISO 20200 method that will have an effect on future testing. The ISO 16929: 2021 method is the pilot-scale industrial composting process and this method was the preferred method for testing plastic disintegration. The reason it was preferred was that it emulated the industrial scale more accur ...moreAcid swelling – how does it affect chrome tanning and the resultant leather?IntroductionMost new tanners learn, either through courses that they attend, or from experienced tanners in the tannery where they are employed, that it is important to use normal salt (sodium chloride) in the pickling process prior to tanning in order to prevent acid swelling of the hides or skins. Almost all wet blue plants use salt in ...moreAutomation and supervision of the leather making process: The present and future of leather processing technologyIntroductionThe leather processing industry is constantly evolving, thanks to the introduction of innovative technologies and advanced software solutions that are gradually taking it to ever more advanced automation horizons. One of the leading companies in this evolutionary process is Erretre, which for almost 50 years has been developin ...moreChemical and physical recycling are essential for the realisation of the Green Deal and the circular economyThe Renewable Carbon Initiative has published a position paper outlining the importance of chemical and physical recycling and what is needed to realise its huge potential. ...more© S&V Publications