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
- Vermont 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 ...moreManufacturer-buyer event: Results still to be tallied, but broad enthusiasm for more
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 ...moreNational 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 ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Nigeria’s Leather Industry: Not a clear picture
Nigeria is widely accepted as having a very large livestock population, but a relatively small tanning industry, much of it concentrated in Kano, producing high grade goat- and sheepskin crust which is exported for finishing elsewhere for use in garments.Recent articles cast some doubt on this, so are Nigeria’s hides and skins: M ...moreLuxury or notWe hear from all sides that the leather industry is not doing too well and the conflict in the Middle East is definitely not improving the situation. The present wars have a huge impact on inflation and hence on the buying power of consumers with negative consequences for the luxury industry whose shares we have seen tumbling at the vario ...more‘ESG is a global requirement’
Deborah Taylor, Sustainable Leather FoundationShe spoke about the SLF’s role in supporting harmonisation and minimising duplication of effort across the leather value chain, its education and training, development of robust and credible standards, and advocacy of the leather industry.She quoted the first definition of sustainability ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- The 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 ...moreOccupational noise-induced hearing loss ‘is the most prevalent occupational disease in the world’
Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is the most prevalent occupational disease in the world*. 16% of all disabling hearing loss in adults is due to noise exposure.It’s also expensive. According to one study, it costs US$242 million in annual compensation in the USA. In the UK, the typical cost per claim in the is £ ...moreNew OHS regulations coming into force later this year mean PPE needs to be reviewed, too
In March 2025, the Physical Agents Regulations (and their guidelines) and the Noise Exposure Regulations (and their guidelines) of the OHSAct were published, with an 18-month time-period promulgation date to September 2026, allowing employers time to upgrade their Health & Safety requirements to comply with the new published regulatio ...more
© S&V Publications
