S&V African Leather Magazine Vol19 No10 October 2025
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.
05 Upfront
- Foot and mouth disease: Low automotive demand ‘a blessing’.
- Fungicide launch planned, writes Leather Systems’ SA’s Tony Stottelaar.
- When textile mills are down, hopefully tanneries are up, writes Fredisco Dyes & Chemicals’ Matt Schneider.
- Keeping it in the family: FC&T Supplies’ Hannes Harding explains changes.
- Key changes in TFL’s leadership team.
09 An Eclectic View
- Gelatine industry – leather users have long joked about good it would be to have square hides…thanks to the demand for gelatine, maybe that’s not so far away, writes correspondent H. Procter.
11 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- African tanneries are paving the way for more sustainable leather manufacture, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor.
12 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.
13 Statistics
- Preliminary South African trade statistics for August 2025.
Advertisers in this Issue
Authenticae (OFC), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (06), Mimosa (02), Rolfes Leather Division (04), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (10), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (07), Sustainable Leather Foundation (08).
- Key changes in TFL´s leadership team
Langenfeld, Germany – Kaija Korolainen was appointed Group Chief People Officer (CPO) on 01 July and Samer Al Jabi was appointed Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) on 01 September.Kaija has a strong track record of strategic HR leadership across multiple industries and geographies. At TFL, she is responsible for ...moreGELATINE INDUSTRY
Leather users have long joked about how good it would be to have square hides…thanks to the demand for gelatine, maybe that’s not so far away ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourDevelopment aid: What happened in Ethiopia demonstrates that plans by governments, UNIDO and NGOs that don’t take into account economic realities will failWhat follows is just an example of many similar situations in the whole spectrum of development aid for the leather industry in a variety of countries and in Africa in particular. ...moreFoot and mouth disease: Low automotive demand ‘a blessing’Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – “Obviously FMD has an effect, you only have to look at the meat prices to see that,” said Gerrie de Jager, MD of Brits Leather Group’s Rosslyn Tannery. “All the red tape and protocols for biosecurity associated with FMD add further costs to a stressed market.“Fortunately, the Sta ...moreFungicide launch plannedPort Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – We are still fortunate to have a solid business in difficult times. But we are positive. Always on the lookout for new opportunities.We do actually have a new fungicide that we are launching. Locally manufactured with international backing, very modern technology. More in the next issue. ...moreWhen textile mills are down, hopefully tanneries are upDurban, KZN, SA – Fredisco Dyes and Chemicals (Pty) Ltd is fortunate to be servicing clients in both the leather and textile industries. With a bit of luck, when one industry does poorly, the other does a bit better! Currently our leather customers seem to be doing well. We have seen strong demand for our leather dyes from tanneries ...moreKeeping it in the familyBoksburg, Gauteng, SA – During 2022/23 my wife fell ill with Covid and we decided to get our daughter, Tania Ellis, involved in the business to enable me to spend more time with Alice. Alice eventually passed away 17th January 2024 after 55 years of married life and as we’re all getting older, I decided to keep Tania on, with ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- World class manufacturing was an eye-opener and a lessonThis is my last contribution to this series of events. I have thoroughly enjoyed stepping back into the days when travelling to find new designs was real travel.My final contribution is to say that with all that happened there were a lot of positives also achieved. I managed to visit some international manufacturing facilit ...moreObituary: Colin Pedlar – Reflex Footwear (Pty) Ltd (08/04/1946-18/07/2025) : Whatever he did, he did calmly, thoroughly, and well
I met Colin Pedlar for the first time when we had the opportunity to take over a production plant in Lesotho.It was quite a daunting prospect starting a new business in a foreign country.Colin was very involved right from the start and tackled every hurdle calmy, from negotiating with the Lesotho Government to moving machinery to Lesotho. ...moreSkechers goes private amid rising tariffs
As U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports climb to 125%, Skechers is stepping away from public markets to rethink its strategy. ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Pangea: ‘Maintaining status quo in quiet market’Nigel, Gauteng, SA – The global market for automotive leather remains subdued, Pangea SA finance & administration director Adrian Visser said this month, and in South Africa’s case, that is further affected by concerns about US tariffs “which affect us indirectly through our customers”.“It’s a flat ...morePEPTIDE MANUFACTURE
Purchasing a 25 kg hide for the purposes of manufacturing a bit of leather used to be a pretty inefficient process. Consulting the 1999 paper (by UNIDO) showed the industry that 60-70% of that 25 kg is water, leaving collagen, keratin, glycosaminoglycans, fat, and a few minor components. The hair, epidermis, and fat are removed to leave a ...moreKeeping it in the familyBoksburg, Gauteng, SA – During 2022/23 my wife fell ill with Covid and we decided to get our daughter, Tania Ellis, involved in the business to enable me to spend more time with Alice. Alice eventually passed away 17th January 2024 after 55 years of married life and as we’re all getting older, I decided to keep Tania on, with ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- SELECTING JOB TASK PPEThe issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.To ...moreFidelity acquires SSG Holdings to grow to nearly 70 000 staff over more than 250 locationsJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA (17 September 2025) – Fidelity Services Group has acquired a majority shareholding in SSG Holdings, following all requisite regulatory approvals. The acquisition will expand Fidelity’s footprint to more than 256 locations and grow its workforce to approximately 69 200 employees across Southern Africa. ...moreNot an afterthought – integrating healthcare technology at the very beginning
Today’s modern healthcare facilities have, respectfully, moved beyond bricks, mortar and medical equipment to now include infrastructure that embeds intelligence and resilience, providing the foundation for safer, smarter and patient-centric healthcare environment.In fact, the medical industry is making truly remarkable gains when i ...more
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