S&V African Leather Magazine Vol11 No5 May 2017
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Sector Reports
SHALC AGM: Export restriction debate drags on, but defending leather against animal welfare will be issue of the future.
Automotive: Move away from SA continues, and local hide prices must come down, says Adrian Visser.
Footwear: All sectors under pressure, says Gert Kruger.
Furniture: We need to export, and we have to be more competitive, says Rudolf Hanni.
Game skins: New association aims to up standards.
Education – the 2017 SLTC Convention
Back from the brink, but much more to do.
Opinion – What are Phthalates?
From columnist H. Procter.
Some hide and leather specifications
Compiled by the ISTT.
Product News
Lanxess: New developments in leather chemicals.
Trade Fairs
ACLE coincides with World Leather Congress.
Textiles
EU now a member of ICAC.
Advertisers in this Issue
BASF (2), DyStar Boehme Africa (4), ISTT (9), Lanxess (OFC), Mimosa Extract Co (10), Rolfes Chemicals (6), SCOT (8).
- Export restriction debate drags on, but defending leather against animal welfare will be issue of the future
Skin, Hide & Leather Council (SHALC) AGM, at the Intercontinental Hotel, OR Tambo Airport, May 26 ...moreAutomotive: Move away from SA continues, and local hide prices must come down
We could re-print the same report that was written last year as all those factors, trends and predictions held true for this past year as well, and will probably continue to do so going forward. The sourcing of business to Europe, the de-contenting and the swing away from leather interiors have continued this past year, resulting in a muc ...moreGame skins: New association aims to up standards
The new association for taxidermists and associated businesses had its formal launch in MayThe South African Taxidermy & Tannery Association (SATTA) was established in October 2016 with the aim to become the officially recognised body to serve the Taxidermy, Tannery and Dip & Pack industry in South Africa. We aim to actively work ...moreWhat are the Phthalates?
A chemical that is often used in the tanning industry is phthalic acid. At the turn of the last century the industry was fascinated by the development of chromium tanning, that aspired to be a viable alternative to the vegetable tanning method (that was universally practiced). During chromium tannage, masking salts can be added to increas ...more2017 SLTC Convention - Back from the brink, but much more to do
This year's SLTC Convention, its 65th - while short of where the organising committee would like it to be - showed significant improvement over last year's event, which was a low point in the SA Section's 75 year history. Attendance was marginally up, from 37 to 42. More importantly, 10 of them were from 7 tanneries, against 5 from 6 last ...moreFurniture: We need to export, and we have to be more competitive
The reality that the furniture manufacturing sector was negatively affected by the economic downturn could be seen in the drop of domestic leather sales. Initially, there was movement from high-end leathers to corrected grain leathers purely from a cost point of view. However, these sales reduced dramatically as the general consumer had t ...moreFootwear: All sectors under pressureThe domestic footwear industry has continued in a similar vein to 2016: that is a lot of uncertainty about future demand and what impact the ongoing political and economic instability will have on consumer behaviour. Different sectors of the footwear market have experienced varied trading conditions, with the civilian footwear sector (fas ...moreLanxess: New developments in leather chemicalsEdenvale, SA - The Leather Business Unit of specialty chemicals company Lanxess is one of the leading suppliers of system solutions for the leather industry – from chemicals for all stages of leather production to on-site technical support. With its product portfolio and processes for manufacturing leather for a range of purposes, i ...moreMore to do in ShanghaiACLE coincides with World Leather CongressShanghai, China - The 20th edition of the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) (August 30-September 1) will be preceded on August 29 by the 3rd World Leather Congress (WLC), also in Shanghai, themed 'The Leather Revolution'. These 2 major events are the most important to be organised in China ...moreEU now a member of ICACFrom the Secretariat ICAC Washington, USA – The membership of the EU in the ICAC is of strategic significance to the world cotton industry and the 150 million people involved in cotton production, marketing and processing each season. Some of the most important trade and research institutions in the world of cotton are h ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- R-CTFL meeting: Manufacturers told ‘to come back with something to show’Last week’s R-CTFL Masterplan meeting between retail, manufacturing, labour and government, with a concentration on footwear and leather goods, showed that the gulf between retail and the rest hasn’t narrowed.A follow-up meeting is planned for 08 May.The Department of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC), the SA Footwear & ...moreVermont sale completedJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – After 39 years, former owner Mandy Owen has sold her shares in Vermont Leathercraft Manufacturers (Pty) Ltd to Creek Lab (Pty) Ltd, and officially handed over the business to Prashant Bhaga.In a message on LinkedIn, she wrote: “I would like to thank my husband, Graham, for his invaluable contributio ...moreComrades Expo 2026
Durban, KZN, SA – The exhibitor list at the Comrades Expo, from 11-13 June, has shown an evolution in the types of companies exhibiting. Just 1 running footwear supplier, Ikhambi Distribution, promoting its Hoka brand, was there.Technical sock suppliers, however, were well represented, with Balega, Falke, Sox Footwear and The Hirst ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Leather Naturally launches new report on sustainable water managementLeather Naturally’s latest educational resource, Sustainable Water Management in the Leather Industry (https://www.leathernaturally.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Leather-Naturally-Sustainable-Water-Management.pdf), is available to download.Developed using insights from recent public consultation, the report explores:* Why water rem ...moreMONEY FROM WASTE
Europe has borne the difficulties and the costs of converting to a bioeconomy – the lessons are there, free, for African businesses to learn and profit from. ...moreFMD: Government upbeat, little comment from industryPretoria, Gauteng, SA – The Department of Agriculture’s “strategic objective” is to vaccinate 80% of South Africa’s national cattle herd – which is around 14 million animals – against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by December this year, according to a media statement on 12 May.“The vaccinatio ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Statistical shape modelling for population-specific respirator design: Addressing fit failure in South African populations
Respirators are widely regarded as the last line of defence against hazardous airborne exposures. Whether protecting healthcare workers from tuberculosis, laboratory personnel from infectious samples, or workers exposed to carcinogenic dusts and fumes, respirators are often relied upon when other controls cannot eliminate exposure. This r ...moreSA's first PPE conference draws top speakers
The Safety First Association and SAPEMA hosted SA’s first PPE conference in March, cramming 20 papers into a 2-day event, which also featured a number of PPE supplier stands. Here, we carry edited versions of 7 of them to illustrate the diversity of the topics. We expect to carry more in the next edition.As several speakers pointed ...moreRealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurementRealPPE Marketplace is a 100% black women-owned B2B PPE marketplace built for South African industry. Founded after years of witnessing safety officers and procurement teams lose time to fragmented suppliers, inconsistent pricing, and missing documentation, RealPPE was created to bring structure and reliability to industrial PPE sourcing. ...more
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