S&V African Leather Magazine Vol14 No5 May 2020
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IN THIS ISSUE:
3 Sam Setter's Pills
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
3 Restarting Production
- Alan D. Jackson: Customers still have stock, says Morgan Naidoo.
- Bader: Business is hard to find, writes Robert O'Connell.
- Mossop Leather: Big opportunities for local manufacturing, writes Gert Kruger.
- Fusion Leather/African Gameskin: Extraordinary ideas, writes Denzil Spolander.
- SATTA: No foreign hunters this year, but awaiting easing of regulations, says Pieter Swart.
10 Exotics
- Zambia's crocodile farmers poised to upscale investments, writes Gillian Langmead.
11 An Eclectic View
- Columnist H. Proctor writes about chromium and the circular bioeconomy, and what can be done about it.
12 Technology
- Sustainable leather production - part 26: Clean technology in the dyehouse, by Dr Clive Jackson-Moss of the ISTT.
14 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
15 Notice Board
- Debbie Archer leaves ISTT.
- Buckman board elects 3 new directors.
16 Training Courses
- UNIDO offers free online leather-related courses.
17 Trade
- South African hides, skins and leather trade statistics for March.
Advertisers in this Issue
APLF (9), Cape Karoo International Ltd (6), ISTT (5), Lanxess (2), Mimosa (7), Rolfes Leather Division (4),SHALC (OFC).
In The Next Issue
- A look at the global fish skin tanning industry.
- Mossop Leather: Big opportunities for local manufacturing
Wellington, W Cape, SA - One has to acknowledge that the remainder of 2020 will be very tough. Liquidity in the industry will be the largest challenge we face and all of us have to act responsibly to our customers and suppliers in this regard. There is vast uncertainty about the medium term future and shoe manufacturers ...moreSATTA: No foreign hunters this year, but awaiting easing of regulations
Rayton, Gauteng, SA - The hunting and taxidermy sectors are awaiting the easing of restrictions on the transport of trophies and game skins across provincial boundaries, and on a broader definition of allowed hunting, before they can resume commercially viable operations. "There are so many apparent contradictions in the rules," ...moreZambia’s crocodile farmers poised to upscale investment
Lusaka, Zambia – Zambia’s crocodile farmers are poised to upscale investment, production and exports of skins following government’s intervention to suspend the 10% export duty on the industry. The removal of the 10% duty on crocodile skins has made some positive impact on the viability of the crocodile business, says th ...moreChromium and CBE
Chromium and the circular bioeconomy. Why does chromium not do so well in a circular bioeconomy? Can chromium build up in the biosphere and give us problems with plant-stunting? Can chromium be recycled more easily in a technosphere circular economy? Why don’t we recycle it more? ...moreClean Technology in the Dyehouse - Sustainable Leather Production – Part 26
The previous 25 articles in this series have discussed the different clean technology options that are available to the tanner in the beamhouse and tanyard. This article will focus on the clean technology that is available in the dyehouse that can help the tanner reduce the environmental impact of the dyehouse processes. Many of the clean ...moreBuckman board elects 3 new directors
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 ...moreAlan D. Jackson: Customers still have stockDurban, 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 $2.10, "which is a significant ...moreBader: Business is hard to findPretoria, Gauteng, SA - Unfortunately orders on the automotive side are nonexistent, and with Brazilian TR1s being offered at 0.35US$/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 pro ...moreFusion Leather/African Gameskin: Extraordinary ideas and opportunitiesCape Town, W Cape, SA - Lockdown has in some crazy way been a hugely inspirational period for the Fusion Leather and African Gameskin team. 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 ...moreUNIDO offers free online leather-related coursesVienna, 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 ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Historical highlights: How Rockshoes became Trailmix Trading
Rockshoes was one of the many successful footwear factories in Pinetown in the 1960s through to the early 2000s. Its successor, Trailmix Trading, has repeated that success, as an importer and wholesaler. Here’s how it unfolded. ...more2026 Comrades shoe count: Asics stays top, Adidas up, Nike slides into 4th place
Marathon shoe counts are among the few footwear statistics available in SA. The Sweat Shop’s Jax Snyman has extracted this year’s Comrades Marathon figures for comparison with last year.His assessment: “Asics up. Adidas properly up. New Balance steady although now 3rd largest. Nike down and drop in rankings to 4th. Sauco ...moreNike claims ‘mental benefits’ from new styles, observers take wait-and-see approach
Nike makes big technical claims for a category of non-sport footwear (their description: pre-game and post-game) launched in January.Certainly not the first footwear to incorporate underfoot pressure points, ‘Nike Mind Technology’ is 2 shoes – a mule and a sneaker (in different colour options) – which Nike says lit ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Organic cotton at the crossroads: Ideology, evidence, and the road ahead
Washington, DC, U.S.A. (23 June 2026) — Organic cotton occupies one of the most contentious spaces in global agriculture. While praised by brands and consumers for its environmental ideals, it also faces persistent questions about yield stability, certification integrity, and scalability. The current edition of The ICAC Recorde ...more‘FMD is here to stay – we have to learn to live with it and manage it’
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – FMD is no longer a series of isolated outbreaks; it has become a national systemic risk, and we need to shift our mindset from emergency response to living with and managing FMD responsibly. The pressure is already showing in the numbers. Our latest figures show cattle slaughter down 12% and sheep slaughter d ...moreSADC Leather Forum unites 16 member states to strengthen the regional leather industry
The Southern African Development Community’s Regional Leather Forum met in Durban, South Africa, in August. Nerisha Jairaj and Jacob Nyathi explain different aspects. ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Protecting the workforce: The critical role of PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is utilised in a work-environment as part of a larger prevention plan, because on its own protection is limited and may even provide a false sense of protection.An occupational disease prevention plan must be an actionable approach that identifies workplace health hazards, evaluates exposure, and i ...moreCONSIDERING A PPE MATRIX
What Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) do we need to have on site to reduce and manage the workplace and environmental exposure risks to our employees?Safety and mining legislation place the responsibility on employers to ensure that they provide and maintain working environments that are safe and without risk to the health on employees ...moreChina-made firefighting equipment now needs verification of conformity with SANS standardsPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Firefighting equipment is among the 25 product categories published on 01 April by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition for a mandatory Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) Programme.The system will require certain goods shipped from China to be tested and certified before they enter the ...more
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