S&V African Leather Magazine Vol18 No11 November 2024
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
04 Upfront
- Rolfes Leather: New owners give it entrée to more African markets.
- Agency company changes: TST and Bosch Technical Services.
- Newald Groenewalt rejoins OPSA.
06 Forecast
- Steady at a lower level: Hide demand steady amid growing global supply, gelatine plants absorbing higher number of lower grades, writes Cape Produce Company’s Benjy Lapiner.
08 An Eclectic View
- LULUC: Explaining the link between deforestation and the leather industry, writes correspondent H. Procter.
11 Decoding Tanning Science
- A cost-effective method of reducing loose grain damage during the bating process: The ISTT’s, Dr Clive Jackson-Moss summarises a JALCA paper entitled “Preventing Enzymatic Damage to Hides by Timely Inhibition of Trypsin Activity with Soybean Flour during Bating Process”.
13 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
15 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- The power of partnership…the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor announces the beginning of a new programme funded by the Leather & Hide Council of America.
16 Agriculture
- Update on FMD in SA: 4 provinces declared free from foot and mouth disease outbreaks.
Advertisers in this Issue
Asia Pacific Leather Fair (APLF)/Informa (02), Authenticae (10), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (14), Mimosa (05), Rolfes Leather Division (07), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (09), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (11), Sustainable Leather Foundation (03), Stahl (OFC).
The Next Issue
- The July issue of S&V African Leather will be out on 20 November. The deadline for contributions is 15 November.
- Groenewald returns to OPSA
Oudtshoorn, W. Cape, SA – Newald Groenewald rejoined Ostrich Products SA (OPSA) in September as tannery manager.He started at the then Klein Karoo International in 1991 before joining OPSA as tannery manager in 2015. He joined Le Croc as tannery manager in 2021, and left there earlier this year. ...moreHide demand steady amid growing global supply, gelatine plants absorbing higher number of lower grades
The picture I get of the leather industry globally is that it is losing share in all its markets for a variety of reasons. In South Africa, the situation is compounded by cash-strapped consumers choosing cheaper alternatives. Cape Produce Company is at the beginning of the leather process, and it supplies all leather markets in SA and internationally. I asked CEO Benjy Lapiner if the picture is as bleak as I’m told. No, he said, but… ...moreLULUC: Explaining the link between deforestation and the leather industry
Land use and land use change (LULUC) refers to the study area in general – that is the study of how global land use change (commonly through human intervention) results in increased atmospheric emissions. The obvious emission is that if the forest is burnt, the emissions are directly released into the atmosphere. However, the change ...moreA cost-effective method of reducing loose grain damage during the bating process
IntroductionEnzymatic bating is an important part of the leather making process. Bating enzymes help remove unwanted skin components from the hide structure, as well as any scud present on the grain layer. Good bating leads to clean, soft leather. Under bating results in poor removal of unwanted skin components, and a firmer crust leather ...moreThe power of partnership…
This month we are delighted to announce the beginning of a new programme, being funded by the Leather & Hide Council of America as part of the US Regional Agricultural Programme. ...moreUpdate on FMD in SA: 4 provinces declared free from foot and mouth disease outbreaks
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (25 October 2024) – The Department of Agriculture has announced that the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak, which occurred during 2021-2022, has been successfully resolved in the North West, Free State, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga Provinces. These provinces, which were initially impacted by the outbreak, have n ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourIt’s the middle-class market, not the rich, where the real money isAlthough I fully realise that luxury is a very important factor for the leather industry, I believe that we focus too much on this particular sector, and forget the day-to-day use of leather. There aren’t too many people who can afford a €100 000 bag, a &e ...moreRolfes Leather: New owners give it entrée to more African marketsBoksburg, Gauteng, SA – Rolfes Leather and the other 4 divisions which collectively make up the Rolfes Group have been acquired by the Solevo Group, a pan-African distributor of specialty chemicals.In a statement, Solevo said it had bought 100% of Rolfes Group in a deal backed by Solevo’s owner, London-based Development Partne ...moreAgency company changesCape Town, W. Cape, SA – Gert Bosch and Arné Husselman left TST Agencies earlier this year.Bosch started Bosch Technical Services (Pty) Ltd (BTS), which began trading on 01 March, servicing the tanning industry. He represents a number of principals including some formerly represented by TST.Husselman has left the industry and ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- 2026 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 ...moreBova Socks: The PPE layer that works inside the boot
In demanding work environments, safety footwear plays a critical role in helping workers manage workplace risks. However, the sock worn inside the boot also influences comfort, hygiene, fit and overall performance throughout the shift. This makes Bova’s sock range an essential part of a complete PPE solution.Bova high-performance so ...moreSAFLEC AGM 2026: Strengthening of relationships between industry organisations and government a key development
This has been a defining year for the South African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC). It has been a year of innovation, collaboration and meaningful progress, where together with our members and strategic partners, we have continued to strengthen the competitiveness of South Africa's footwear and leather industry while creat ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- OBLIQUITY
Shareholder value is usually the result of running a good business, not a reliable operational principle for running one ...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. ...moreNigeria’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 ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Premier Workwear: Engineered protection for Africa’s industrial workforce
In high-risk industrial environments, protective clothing is far more than a uniform requirement — it is a critical component of workplace safety, operational reliability and regulatory compliance. For procurement professionals, safety managers and operational leaders, selecting the right supplier means finding a partner capable of ...moreIndoor air quality monitoring: protecting people, processes, and productivity in South Africa
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is becoming an increasingly important topic across South Africa as industries place greater focus on occupational safety, environmental controls, and operational reliability. While air quality concerns were once mainly associated with mining, heavy industry, or healthcare environments, businesses across multiple s ...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
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