Durban, KZN, SA - Morgan Naidoo, member of leather indent agent Alan D. Jackson, which has principals in Brazil, India and Pakistan, said most of his customers still had stocks of leather.

He said the global drop in hide prices had seen the prices for Brazilian leather drop from US$2.45-2.50/ft² to $2.10, "which is a significant difference", but he said the Rand's fall meant that the landed price was very close to local leathers.

"Customers who know the quality of the Brazilian leather will still buy it," he said, "but certainly business is very difficult right now."

Alan D. Jackson sells only leather, but he said he would consider importing other footwear components.

Pretoria, Gauteng, SA - Unfortunately orders on the automotive side are nonexistent, and with Brazilian TR1s being offered at 0.35US$/ft², even export orders on wet blues are hard to come by and to compete with.

 

The majority of the wet blue plants were wet salting during the lockdown phase with the prospect of being able to process the hides at a later stage.

The challenge of new and unknown, sparks energy in my team and leads to extraordinary thinking. 

We are in regular contact with our customers, carving a path for the near future, along with an 18 month strategy. Many of our customers are champing at the bit to get going with new ideas and markets in the online space.

Exports from African Gameskin has been promising over the past 2 weeks and an interesting opportunity with a prominent international brand for Fusion.

Suddenly R18.50 = $1 allows for South African competitiveness.

Fusion has an interesting product offering ex Durban Warehouse in August/September, while African Gameskin launch an Eco Leather range in June.

In the words of Warren Buffet...When the masses are fearful, be greedy and when the masses are greedy, be fearful. My wish is for our industry to find the opportunities that will present in the coming months and pounce.

Vienna, Austria - The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), through its ITC SME Trade Academy, is offering 2 free online courses.

In a circular, industrial development officer Ivan Kral wrote:

 

As in many countries social life and productive activities are on very low level, I would like to draw your attention to online courses available organized by ITC Academy. There are many courses which could be useful for users.

Among others are e.g.:

1. Standards and Technical Requirements for the Leather Industry

2. Fashion Design for International Markets

Courses are free and fully on-line, so very convenient for this challenging time

 

Standards and technical requirements for the leather industry

 

Aimed at senior managers and technical representatives working for leather and leather product producers, this course is designed to showcase the essential standards and technical requirements for export into the major leather world markets. 

Beginning with a description of the importance of standards in the international leather business, it moves on to discuss the demands of major standards and technical requirements, including REACH and ZDHL. Finally, it concludes by presenting guidelines, control measures and testing procedures necessary to comply with these standards, thus helping leather and leather product producers prepare for certification. 

NOTE: We recommend using the latest version of the Chrome or Safari browsers to ensure an optimal experience viewing the lectures.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

* Establish a consensus around the need to meet international leather production standards;

* Understand the relevant standards and link their requirements to the leather production process; and

* Determine actions to implement quality control measures to comply with standards and technical requirements such as REACH and ZDHL.

 

Participants who meet the course requirements will receive a Certificate of Completion issued in electronic format.

 

Lecture 1: The Importance of Standards in the International Leather Business

Lecture 2: Standards and Leather Production Methods

Lecture 3: The Leather Certification Process

Time required: 4 hours over 2 weeks

Next start date: 27, Jul 2020

Course access: Open for enrolment

Course fee: Free of charge

 

 

This course explores the fundamentals of product and collection design within the context of the global fashion and textile industry, with a view to helping business owners, production managers and product designers consider these aspects in their product and collection planning for international markets. It explores the uses of colour, texture, and patterns within the context of individual pieces, as well as a collection as a whole in order to guide participants to develop the basic skills required for successful fashion design. 

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

* Articulate the elements involved in creating a strong design vision;

* Apply colour and surface texture design principles; and

* Identify the key steps in product and collection planning.

 

 

Lecture 1: Design Fundamentals for Business

Lecture 2: Colour and Surface Texture in Design

Lecture 3: Product Development Planning

Time required: 4 hours over 2 weeks

Next start date: 03, Aug 2020

Course access: Open for enrolment

 

Course fee: Free of charge

For further information: I.KRAL@unido.org, https://learning.intracen.org/local/itcacademy/

 

Memphis, Tenn., USA (May 18, 2020) – Bulab Holdings, Inc., in its 75th year of business, has announced that 3 new members have been elected by its shareholders to join its board of directors: Robert Buckman (Memphis), Jacqueline Welch (Washington, D.C. Metro) and Gregg Sutherland (Denver). James Shepherd of Vancouver, Canada retired from the board after 12 years. 

 

Robert “Bob” Buckman’s career at Buckman spanned nearly 50 years including a previous tenure on the board. The son of the company’s founder, Stanley Buckman, Bob has held many positions at the company including CEO (1978-2000), director and chairman of the board. He is not only well known as an accomplished leader in the specialty chemical industry but also as a true pioneer in the field of “knowledge management” also known as “knowledge sharing”. He is the author of Building a Knowledge-Driven Organization and has been a long-term board member of the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). He is also on the board of trustees at Christian Brothers University. In 1989, Bob launched a knowledge network for Buckman that used computers to widely and quickly transfer knowledge and expertise between global associates. This was enhanced in 1995 when K’Netix was created to further foster a culture of knowledge sharing that continues to this day. Buckman is a graduate of Purdue University and the University of Chicago.

Jacqueline Welch is the chief human resource officer (CHRO) and chief diversity officer (CDO) at Freddie Mac, and the first CHRO and CDO to sit on the Buckman Board. She has more than 20 years of experience in HR, inclusion and diversity strategy and execution both as a consultant with Accenture and Willis Towers Watson (formerly Towers Perrin) and as a corporate executive at companies such as Turner Broadcasting System and Rock-Tenn Company. Jacqueline has been recognized nationally with awards including a “CHRO of the Year” by HRO Today, “Diversity Leader of the Year” and “Women Worth Watching” by the Profiles in Diversity Journal, and the “Breakaway Leadership Award” by Evanta, a Gartner Company. She is a graduate of Syracuse University and the Milano Graduate School.

Gregg Sutherland is a recently retired strategy consulting partner with the global advisory firm Ernst & Young. During his 17 years with E&Y, Gregg assisted clients with the development of growth strategies and the design of operating models to support those strategies. His consulting work encompassed the chemical industry, including extensive work at Dow Chemical, and pulp and paper companies including Kimberly-Clark and International Paper. Gregg has also served in executive roles for product development and strategy, including senior vice president of strategy at Qwest Communications.  Gregg has served as a board member for Colorado Communications and Technology Professionals and Colorado Audubon Society. He is a graduate of the University of Denver and earned his MBA at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

"We are pleased to welcome each of these individuals to our board of directors," said Phil Shannon, chairman of the board of Bulab Holdings. "Bob, Jacqueline and Gregg each bring to the board unique experiences, skill sets and careers but more importantly they possess the energy, desire and commitment to help Buckman achieve its ambitious goals. Their backgrounds and track records of delivering exceptional results will be invaluable to Buckman’s future successes.” 

Buckman operates regional manufacturing centers in six countries to support its offerings of specialty chemical-digital solutions along with technical services through 95 countries primarily to the pulp and paper, leather, water treatment and process chemical industries.

The three new directors will join the current directors: Junai Maharaj (Memphis), Kathy Buckman Gibson (Memphis), Phil Shannon (Memphis), Otto Heissenberger (Cincinnati), Larry Shutzberg (Memphis), Edith Kelly-Green (Memphis) and Robert O’Brien (Fort Myers, FL).