S&V African Leather Magazine Vol17 No10 October 2023
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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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
- We could make sports shoes then, and I’m sure we could make them now
Retired shoemaker Brian Zyster shares more of his memories of ‘the good old days’ of footwear manufacturing in South Africa ...moreCity of Cape Town backs AllFashion Sourcing as it seeks to grow CTFL sector
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – AllFashion Sourcing Cape Town 2026 returns to Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC 2) from 14–16 July 2026, marking a significant milestone as the City of Cape Town joins as a key partner in advancing Africa’s fashion, textile and apparel sector.This partnership signals a shared visio ...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
- MONEY 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. ...moreKenya announces $39 million investment to strengthen livestock productionKenya plans to launch a 5 billion-shilling ($38.6 million) investment program to modernize its livestock sector and strengthen one of the country's most important rural industries.President William Ruto announced the initiative on June 1 during a visit to Wajir County in northern Kenya.According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the program ...moreRwanda’s planned leather park movedRwanda’s planned tannery park has been moved from Bugesera District to Gicumbi District, according to several reports. It’s expected to be completed by 2029. The project was first announced in 2024. ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Biodegradable disposable gloves ‘a growing trend’ in PPE
The poster is available to download in English in both PNG and PDF formats hereCompostable and biodegradable PPE are said to be rapidly growing trends internationally, lead by brands like Showa and HaPPE Earth.The nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH in Hürth, Germany, has published an updated versio ...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 ...moreStatistical 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 ...more
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