S&V African Leather Magazine Vol17 No10 October 2023
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
Click the advert links for more info. • Download PDF
IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 An Eclectic View
- Social management – changing trends in staffing, H. Procter.
08 Sustainable Leather Foundation
- Closure of Pittards and threatened closure of Institute for Creative Leather Technologies made it a turbulent month for the leather industry, writes Sustainable Leather Foundation MD Deborah Taylor.
- SLF MD admitted to the Worshipful Company of Curriers.
18 Simac/Tanning Tech
- Alpespak: New splitting concept ‘improves productivity and safety’.
- Cape Karoo International: ‘The search is on for real sustainability,’ writes Charl du Pisani.
- Kymera: ‘Virtual tannery’ for remote maintenance.
- NTE: Overall picture is of gradual improvement.
- Spraytech: ‘Looking to relight the flame of interest in SA.’
- TST: Of robots and precision, writes Arné Husselmann.
17 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
18 Agriculture
- Government ‘welcomes the agricultural sector’s continued contribution to the country’s economy’.
19 Animal Welfare
- NSPCA ‘celebrates major victory to SA’s lions’.
20 Cosmetics
- IFRA and Cosmetics Europe welcome European Parliament’s support for the CLP revision.
18 Trade Statistics
- SA hides, skins and leather trade statistics for August 2023, issued by SARS.
Advertisers in this Issue
APLF (03), Authenticae (ofc), Evolution Engineering (01), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (05), Mimosa (07), Rolfes Leather Division (09), S&V Calendar (11), S&V Directory (21), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (18), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02), TFL (13, 14, 15, 16).
The Next Issue
- The October issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 10 November. The deadline for contributions is 31 October.
- An Eclectic View: Social management
Major trends include smaller numbers of more skilled staff, or shifting staff to new areas of income generation. ...moreSLF Managing Director Admitted to the Worshipful Company of Curriers!
On Friday 22 September 2023, I was admitted as a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Curriers. The admittance took place at Tallow Chandlers Hall and was followed by a Michaelmas Court Dinner, where I also delivered the after dinner address.The Curriers’ Company is one of the oldest livery companies, first established as a trade or ...moreA turbulent month for the Leather Industry
A busy and turbulent month for the leather industry, particularly in the UK, as we saw one of our oldest tanneries, Pittards, head into administration, resulting in the loss of 150 jobs in the UK and 850 jobs in Ethiopia. That news was followed just a week later with a letter from the Vice Chancellor of the University of Northampton to in ...moreALPESPAK: New splitting concept ‘improves productivity and safety’
ALPESPAK, part of the Alpe Group, which specialises in splitting and shaving machines, was promoting its “revolutionary new concept” for splitting green hides, leather in the lime, or wet blue hides.“The Predator was first shown 2 years ago,” said commercial sales manager Paolo Matelli. “What we’re show ...moreKymera: ‘Virtual Tannery’ for remote maintenance
Kymera Group, which specialises in spares, consumables, and services, demonstrated its ‘Virtual Tannery’, a communication system which allows remote technical advice for machinery servicing and repairs. “This isn’t new technology,” said director Alexia Fisc ...moreSpraytech: ‘Looking to relight the flame of interest in SA’
In SA, Spraytech has concentrated on installing new technology – spray guns and economisers – on existing spray lines, sales manager Cristiano Dalla Valle said.“We’ve been developing low pressure systems, which first and foremost reduce wastage, and which also reduce maintenance,” he said. “Over the pas ...moreTST: Of robots and precision
African Leather: What is interesting about the Barnini spray arm?The Barnini Robot system is the first multi-patented leather loading system in the world, that is capable of automatically loading leather from a stand, platform or chain.The robot system is also capable of finishing panels or whole skins, simulating production systems ...moreNSPCA ‘celebrates major victory for SA’s lions’
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (14 September 2023) – The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) celebrates a major victory for lions in the country’s first successful case against the cruel, negligent confinement of these wild animals. Captive lions never get to experience the freedom inherent to wild animals. This judgement c ...moreIFRA and Cosmetics Europe welcome European Parliament’s support for the CLP revision
Cosmetics are chemical based, so the industry faces similar challenges to the leather industry. ...moreTrade Fairs: Sam Setter's 'Pills' - For readers who need some wry medicinal humourRecently we enjoyed two major leather industry exhibition events. Talking to stakeholders I was told that the non-Chinese exhibition halls in ACLE Shanghai were significantly reduced in surface area with fewer overseas exhibitors, but with a particularly great interest in sustainable chemicals by Chinese tanneries. Machine manufacturers f ...moreCape Karoo International: The search is on for real sustainabilityAfrican Leather: Was CKI looking for anything specific, and if so, what were you looking for?CKI combined Tanning Tech with a visit to Sante Croce suppliers and tanneries to determine what technologies and practices are available to improve finishing techniques.African Leather: Were there any developments which caught your attention, what ...moreNTE: Overall picture is of gradual improvementTanning Tech 2023 proved a busy time for the NTE Team exhibiting, especially on the first 2 days with day 3 as expected being less busy with only a few visitors on the stand. The visits were mainly from agents and customers where in depth discussions were held on market conditions and the current challenges facing the demand and supply of ...moreGovernment ‘welcomes the agricultural sector’s continued contribution to the country’s economy’Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (08 September 2023) – The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, has welcomed the latest figures released by Statistics South Africa on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2023, showing that the agricultural sector was once again one of the biggest contr ...moreSA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for August 2023Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (29 September 2023) – Source: SARS.Including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN)Cumulative tradeTrade balance R'm (186 460 568)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.94Monthly tradeTrade balance R'm (54 959 241)Ratio (exports/imports) 0.87ExportsMonth % of total 0.21Cumulative 2022 (R'm) 2 616&nbs ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- National Leather and General Goods Strategy WorkshopOn 23 June, following months of fieldwork, B&M Analysts (BMA) hosted an online workshop to discuss the recovery of the handbags, belts, travel goods and allied manufacturing industries in SA.The industries, although very diverse, fall under the General Goods & Handbags Sector of the National Bargaining Council of the Leather Indus ...moreManufacturer-buyer event: Among the manufacturer comments
The 2-day Retail Buyer Engagement & Manufacturer Onboarding Programme on 01 and 02 July was part of an effort to kickstart the R-CTFL Masterplan – which, from a footwear perspective at least, has appeared stalled.It was sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and implemented through the R-CTFL Masterplan Footwea ...moreAn 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Mobilising 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 ...moreImproving 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 ...moreAfrican leather businesses holding LWG and SLF ratingsAs African leather manufacturers strive to grow their exports, the number which have qualified for ratings by the Leather Working Group (LWG) and the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) is growing.By country, LWG lists the following:Algeria: Sarl Tannerie Ain FakrounBurkina Faso: Mona Industry SARL.Egypt: El Montaza Tannery, Piel Color C ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Selecting the correct protective clothing for a hazardous chemical environment
In South Africa’s diverse industrial landscape, from mining operations in Rustenburg to petrochemical plants in Secunda and manufacturing hubs in Durban, workers are regularly exposed to hazardous chemical environments that demand more than just basic safety measures.The selection of appropriate protective clothing is not only ...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 ...moreUnderstanding local and international PPE standards: Clarity in a complex landscape
Appearances and claims to the contrary, South Africa’s PPE industry “is largely unregulated, and a high percentage of PPE on the market is not compliant with official standards”, uvex Safety SA MD Christo Nel said, “and that’s a problem at many levels, and for the entire value chain”.He said the fundame ...more
© S&V Publications
