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
- An industry with distinctive material riches, unable to sufficiently convert them into finished goods in a world class way“The project’s purpose,” said Courtney Grant, “is to be a robust, evidence-based strategy to address the leather and general goods sector’s challenges and unlock its growth potential.”The main headings of her presentation were:Creating the groundwork for a National Leather and General Goods Strategy:Fro ...moreLemaitre’s Robust Pro, ‘based on user feedback, is a gamechanger in safety footwear’
Lemaitre, a trusted leader in safety footwear, is proud to announce the launch of the New Robust Pro, a reimagined safety shoe designed to deliver unparalleled comfort, durability, and all-around protection for workers across industries. With the Robust Pro we set out to create a shoe that truly works as hard as the people who wear it by ...moreDuty evasion, false country of origin and labelling main targets: NCC and SARS ‘sign MoU to strengthen compliance’Media statement issued jointly by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and SA Revenue Service (SARS)Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (06 May 2026) – The National Consumer Commission (NCC) and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance consumer protection against the proliferation of ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Improving the strength and softness of crust leather through pressure treatment
IntroductionRetanning and fatliquoring have a major impact on the characteristics of leather, whereas dyeing and the finishing concentrate on the appearance of the leather. Various retanning agents and fatliquoring agents have been developed to improve the softness and mechanical strength of leather, parameters that are important to the b ...moreMobilising Africa’s human resource to reinvigorate the regional leather value chain
In last month’s edition I wrote about mobilising Africa’s livestock to reinvigorate the regional leather value chain, and this article is focussed on mobilising the human resource that is needed to make the most of the abundant livestock populations in the region.On Friday 12th June, newly organised SARLEN (Southern African Re ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': TraceabilityThe EU Commission is very much engaged in bringing traceability of our raw materials to the forefront of tannery management. But let’s reflect on this for a moment. In the industrial world traceability is a fact, and particularly where food is involved, traceability is a standard requirement for trading. This is firstly to ensure fo ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Making fall protection practical
Working at height is, by its nature, potentially dangerous. But only potentially. Properly planned and executed, working at height is safe. However, accidents and injuries are common.Part of the problem is that many – most – businesses do fall protection plans as tick box exercises. Industry can help by planning correctly, whi ...moreThe PPE Conference – PPE isn’t optional, it’s essential: A review
Leighton Bennett, the Safety First Association chairperson and a SHE and risk management consultantThe hosts of this first PPE Conference held in South Africa, were the Safety First Association and SAPEMA, on the 10 and 11 March 2026, at the Emperor’s Palace, in Kempton Park.This conference objectives were to provide a unique opport ...moreThe concepts behind safety: Why bother with PPE on the ‘Road to Zero Harm’?
For over a decade, the ILO and other such bodies have been pushing this whole notion of "Zero Harm", "Road to Zero" and other such catchy titles, all pushing the idea most probably backed by one-sided research that "Zero Harm" is the only way and can be achieved if you work hard enough.My problem with this id ...more
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