Tannery Of The Year

TOTY Archive

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Established in 2009, the Tannery of the Year programme seeks to celebrate commitment to innovation, to partnership, to leadership and to sustainability. The “boots on the ground” reports from the World Leather team, act as your eyes in today’s modern tanneries.
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Downloadable PDFPrimeAsia Vietnam Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam
PrimeAsia Vietnam, one of two tanneries the leather manufacturing group operates today, is in a strategic part of the footwear-making world. With some of those companies now starting to increase the volume of leather they want to use, expansion at the tannery and advancements in its use of efficient, safe and innovative tanning technology are ongoing.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2019
Downloadable PDFPrimeAsia Vietnam Technical report
Fresh from completing an expansion project in March this year, PrimeAsia wants the capacity at its tannery in southern Vietnam to keep growing to meet the needs of its athletic and casual footwear customers.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2019
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: Innovative companies can lead the way
Vietnam is likely to remain one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. China’s transition to a buy-not-make economy, with increasing labour costs, has been tempting manufacturers across the border for a number of years. If Vietnam is to make its own transition to a middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045, companies that are willing to adopt innovative technology will be key.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2019
Downloadable PDFJinan Luri Junda Leather, Technical report
Specialist cow split producer Junda Leather has found ways to keep valuable manufacturing jobs in the rural environment of Shuangquan in Shandong Province, while building strong ties with two of China’s leading universities for leather science and engineering.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2019
Downloadable PDFJinan Luri Junda Leather Shuangquan, Shandong, China
A specialist producer of cow split, Junda Leather Company has forged a reputation as a creative supplier that footwear groups producing shoes and boots for domestic and export markets have come to count on.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2019
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: Complexities of the Chinese market
In the first part of our Country Commentary for China, World Leather June-July, we analysed the impact on the country’s wider economy of its ongoing trade dispute with the US. Part two examines more closely the impact of the current economic situation on industries that are extensive users of leather.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2019
Downloadable PDFPeter Geng Double Face Company, Technical report
Hebei Province-based double-face leather producer Peter Geng is committed to sharing the benefits of its deep knowledge of the special raw materials required to make its products.
World Leather - Jun/July 2019
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: What months of mistrust could mean
Trade tensions have been building up between China and the US since the start of 2018. A resolution appeared to be within reach in the early part of this year, but May and June 2019 have been among the most turbulent months in the dispute so far and most of the optimism has faded.
World Leather - Jun/July 2019
Downloadable PDFPeter Geng Double Face Company
After years of working for large double-face leather manufacturing companies in Hebei Province, Peter Geng set up his own tannery in 2008. Through hard work and deep knowledge of the specialist raw materials double-face requires, he has now built up a strong reputation for quality, service and innovation.
World Leather - Jun/July 2019
Downloadable PDF2018 global winner in expansion mode
A year ago, Interhides Limited was on top of the world, having won the global award in the sixth Tannery of the Year programme. Far from resting on its laurels, the Thai leather manufacturer has invested in a new building, new machinery and a new idea for succeeding as a supplier of wet blue and wet white of consistently high quality. It’s an idea that’s been tried before, but not like this.
World Leather - Apr/May 2019
Downloadable PDFTOTY - Russkaya Kozha: Technical report
How the biggest tannery in Russia came to look beyond the country’s borders and beyond footwear to find new markets at home and abroad.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2018
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: Leather in a cold climate
Russia today has a relatively small number of tanneries for such a large country, with 20 leather manufacturers in operation. However, demand from the domestic market, owing to Russia’s large population and savagely diverse climatic and geographical conditions, as well as an eye for greater exports, are giving grounds for optimism.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2018
Downloadable PDFTOTY - Russkaya Kozha Ryazan, Russia
Russia’s biggest tannery has a history spanning more than 100 years and, as it expands its target markets beyond the domestic arena and beyond footwear, is investing heavily in new technology to create a bright future.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2018
Downloadable PDFTOTY - Buyer’s View: Russkaya Kozha and Unichel
The Russian footwear group insists that it will not compromise on the quality of its shoes in the face of what it calls “unfair competition from counterfeit products”. Instead, it intends to put more emphasis than ever on authenticity, which means investing heavily in leather from suppliers such as Russkaya Kozha.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2018
Downloadable PDFIHL’s commitment to partnership helps secure the big prize
Thai tanning group Interhides Public Company Limited (IHL) is the global winner of Tannery of the Year for 2018. This article explains what it is about the company that helped it stand out for the judging panel and gives IHL’s reaction to the result.
World Leather - Apr/May 2018
Downloadable PDFTalented Turkey seeks a fair price for its leather
Country Commentary: Experts on the Turkish leather sector argue that technicians and craftspeople there have shown for years how able and creative they can be in making highquality leather and finished products. This report suggests that if companies in Turkey can sustain their businesses by securing a half-decent price for lowergrade material, their better-quality products can fly high in the most demanding luxury markets.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2018
Downloadable PDFSepiciler Torbali, Izmir, Turkey
Pioneering work over its 90-year history and ongoing commitment to environmental and social responsibility helped Turkish tanning group Sepiciler become Tannery of the Year for Europe in 2013. A series of deeply significant developments since then, with more to come, have brought the company to the attention of the Awards programme once again.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2018
Downloadable PDFChina’s role as a consumer of leather
With two Chinese tanneries taking part in the sixth programme of Tannery of the Year, we are keeping up the tradition of aligning our country commentaries with the tannery reports by dividing the China country commentary into two parts. In the first part, we examined the country’s current status as a manufacturer of leather and leather products. In this follow-up we look at China as a consumer of leather and finished products that contain leather.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2017
Downloadable PDFXingye Leather Technology, Anhai, Fujian Province, China
Twenty years on from its launch, Xingye Leather Technology has established itself as one of the leading leather manufacturers in China and it is now preparing to make its mark on the international market too.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2017
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: China’s role as a producer of leather
With two Chinese tanneries taking part in the sixth programme of Tannery of the Year, we will keep up the tradition of aligning our country commentaries with the tannery reports by dividing the China country commentary into two parts. In this first part, we examine the country’s current status as a manufacturer of leather and leather products. We will follow up in the December-January issue with part two of the country commentary, looking at China as a consumer of leather and finished products that contain leather.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2017
Downloadable PDFTongtianxing Group, Quzhou, Zhejiang province, China
One of the largest producers of furniture leather in the world, Tongtianxing (TTX) is proud of its ability to keep coming up with new ideas to help its customers. But it also knows that working closely with chemical and machinery suppliers is of huge importance in allowing it to continue to innovate and keep its leather collections fresh.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2017
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: A changing environment for footwear
There are plenty of challenges ahead for Mexico’s footwear industry, ranging from competition for leather from the automotive sector to a fluid environment across the border in the US, which can have an effect on everything from production costs to consumer buying habits in the domestic market. Nevertheless, the president of CICEG, the main footwear industry association in the state of Guanajuato, Luis Gerardo González García, is looking forward to addressing all of these issues.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2017
Downloadable PDFGST AutoLeather, Mexico
Automotive leather supplier GST has had a presence in Mexico for almost 25 years and, for almost the last 15 years, has concentrated all its North American production at three different sites there. Together, these facilities constitute an efficient and effective automotive leather supply chain, and at the same time there is something special about the way it treats its people, as this report makes clear.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2017
Downloadable PDFBuyer’s view: GST and Yisti
A?new foundation called Yisti?Society has found a way of putting to use scraps from GST Mexican cutting plants.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2017
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary: Uganda’s tanning industry pushes ahead
Less than 20 years ago, practically all of Uganda’s hides and skins left the country in the raw state. Now nine tanneries are working hard to add value to this natural resource and are aiming to expand their operations in future and to be part of a thriving domestic leather sector.
World Leather - June/July 2017
Downloadable PDFLeather Industries of Uganda Jinja, Uganda
A decade ago, Leather Industries of Uganda faced a real threat of closure because of inadequate environmental management. After a complete overhaul and substantial investment in people and technology, the facility now serves as a landmark for the leather industry in Uganda, in East Africa and, perhaps, across the whole of the continent. It now describes itself as “a wastewater treatment plant with a tannery attached”.
World Leather - June/July 2017
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary US leather industry starts to grow back
Leather Industries of America is one of the country’s oldest trade associations. It’s smaller now than in the days before globalisation, when millions of US hides began to flow overseas, but its president, John Wittenborn, says the companies that remain are strong and optimistic about growing the industry back.
World Leather - Apr/May 2017
Downloadable PDFMississippi TanTec Leather Inc. Vicksburg, Mississippi, US
Drums started turning at the ISA TanTec facility in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the start of 2015, making it the first tannery to commence production in the US in 25 years. Working from wet blue, it retans and finishes hides from prominent US cattle-producing states and supplies finished leather mostly to footwear brands for whom ‘Made in the US’ has become an important part of commercial strategy.
World Leather - Apr/May 2017
Downloadable PDFBuyer's View: Wolverine Leathers and Interhides Public Company Ltd
For a customer’s perspective of Tannery of the Year finalist Interhides Public Company Limited, we talk to the leather division of footwear group Wolverine Worldwide, a long-time partner, but one with new ideas that it is working on with the Thai leather manufacturer.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2017
Downloadable PDFTOTY: Interhides Public Company Limited
Two generations at Interhides Limited are now working hand in hand to establish strong partnerships with customers and suppliers and to make this family-run tannery, situated in one of Thailand’s main leather manufacturing clusters, a leader at home and internationally.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2017
Downloadable PDFCountry Commentary - Recipe for success
The president of the Thai Tanning Industry Association, Pranee Kuruvelukorn, says leather is like cooking, with each part of the world having its preferred ingredients and traditional ways of preparing things. Thailand’s is a recipe for success, she says.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2017
Downloadable PDFTOTY: Andrew Muirhead & Son Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow-based tanner Andrew Muirhead has seen great changes in the leather industry and to its local environment in its 175-year history, but it faces the future with confidence, buoyed by a determination to continue improving, innovating and walking the same path towards business excellence that it sees its customers taking.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2016
Downloadable PDFRegional Commentary - Stability in the face of uncertainty
One of a series of challenges to the established world order in 2016 was the result of a referendum in the United Kingdom in June, which means the country will leave the European Union after almost 45 years. Six months on from the vote, the leather industry is trying to maintain a business-as-usual stance on the one hand while also attempting to achieve clarity on what the future will hold.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2016
Downloadable PDFA new approach
Tannery of the Year enters its sixth programme with some important changes.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2016
Downloadable PDFBuyer’s View - The Palace of Westminster and Andrew Muirhead & Son
Customer relationships grow strong when there are genuine benefits for both the tanner and the organisation using the finished leather. Andrew Muirhead’s work with the UNESCO-heritage building that houses the UK’s parliament is a case in point.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2016
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2016: Results
Social projects helped clinch top prize for Couro do Norte: A family-run company from the far north of Brazil is building up a customer base worldwide but is working hard to support deserving causes close to home. This turned heads and won hearts at the 2016 Tannery of the Year Final.
World Leather - Apr/May 2016
Downloadable PDFTOTY 2016: Innovation of the Year
For the third time, a component of the Tannery of the Year programme for 2016 was the Innovation Award. As in previous editions of the competition all of the finalists have displayed serious commitment to innovation. We chose two examples of this inventiveness for each of the eight finalists and invited a special panel to choose the most outstanding example of all.
World Leather - Apr/May 2016
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: White Nile Tannery, Khartoum, Sudan
After making a name for himself in footwear production in other parts of Africa, Lebanese entrepreneur Dr Mohamad Rifai received an invitation to open a business in Sudan too. There was plenty of local leather to work with, but he was dissatisfied with the quality and decided to set up the White Nile tannery in Khartoum and make his own.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2016
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Kings International Ltd, Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India
Kings International Ltd started life in 1977 as a producer of finished leather products, mostly saddles and other equestrian equipment. But 20 years ago it set up its own tannery to guarantee the quality and quantity of leather it uses. It still consumes all the leather it makes in-house (even trimmings and fleshings are converted into dog chews).
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2016
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: China
The fifth programme of Tannery of the Year has yielded a candidate list of 10 excellent tanneries for China, two of which have been selected as finalists. We featured the report from Meihua Leather Company in the previous issue of World Leather.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2015
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Zhejiang Dazhong Leather, Haining, Zhejiang province
Dazhong, located in China’s Leather City, Haining, claims to have a longer history than any tannery operating in the country today; it will celebrate 90 years since its foundation during 2016. It produces leather for shoes, automotive and furniture upholstery as well as gloves. It is optimistic about the future of the leather industry in China.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2015
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Meihua Leather Company, Xinji, Hebei province
A specialist in making double-face articles from sheepskins, Meihua Leather is a leading light in the important tanning town of Xinji, helping the cluster rebuild its reputation by investing in high-quality raw material, clean and thorough methods of production and state-of-the-art environmental management.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2015
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Couro do Norte, Belém, Pará, Brazil
Located in the northern Brazilian state of Pará, Couro do Norte grew out of a family-run wet-salted hides business. Around 15 years ago it began adding extra value to local hides by turning them into wet blue and wet white and has now built up a successful beamhouse operation with clients in Asia and Europe as well as in the Americas.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2015
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Wickett & Craig of America, Curwensville, Pennsylvania, US
Specialist veg-tan leather producer Wickett & Craig is almost 150 years old and has survived a move from Canada to the US and several changes of ownership. The tanning company is now forging its way into new growth markets for veg-tan while continuing to serve customers in its traditional areas of focus.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2015
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Tärnsjö Garveri, Sweden
There are few tanneries left in Scandinavia. As one of those that remain, Tärnsjö Garveri in Sweden knows it must continue to offer “something unique” to claim its place in a global industry that now carries out almost all of its activity much further south.
World Leather - June/July 2015
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Atlantic Leather, Saudarkrokur, Iceland
It suits Atlantic Leather to have a small coastal town in the far north of Iceland as its base. Not only does it have easy access to clean, renewable energy and an abundance of water in this location, but also a plentiful supply of its most important raw material: fish skins.
World Leather - June/July 2015
Downloadable PDFLeading tanneries prove integral link in the automotive chain
It’s not easy to cope with the demands of car makers, which request high quality, flexibility and large volumes at competitive costs, but tanners work hard to stay one step ahead by using innovative techniques and developing more effective working methods.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2015
Downloadable PDFA question of trust
Customers of Wollsdorf Leather in Austria know that the material they source from the fourth global Tannery of the Year winner will not be the lowest price in the market, but they believe they can trust the company to keep innovating, keep building strong partnerships and keep offering high quality products that meet their requirements.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2014
Downloadable PDFInnovation of the Year
For the second time, a component of the Tannery of the Year programme for 2014 was the Innovation Award. As in previous editions of the competition all of the finalists have displayed serious commitment to innovation. Two examples of this inventiveness was chosen from each of the nine finalists and a special panel was invited to choose the most outstanding example of all.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2014
Downloadable PDFJudging panel - TOTY 2014
Judges for the Tannery of the Year Awards 2014 were kind enough to give up their time in the build-up to the final in Shanghai in September to read all nine detailed reports, as published over the last year in World Leather, and, on the day of the final, to hear presentations from each tannery.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Dire Tannery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Now a diverse industrial group, Dire Industries’ beginnings, as well as its heart and soul, are in the tannery it acquired on the outskirts of Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in 1972.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Africa
The fourth programme of Tannery of the Year has yielded a candidate list of six excellent tanneries for Africa.
World Leather - Aug/Sept 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Henan Prosper, Henan Province
Specialist sheepskin tannery Henan Prosper has ambitions to be one of the biggest and most successful producers in the world of leather from this raw material. Beyond that, it is manufacturing and bringing to market a wide range of footwear under various own-brand names some of which it hopes to float on the stock market within five years. The company insists it will survive and thrive after the major changes to the Chinese tanning industry that have begun in 2014.
World Leather - June/July 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: China
The fourth programme of Tannery of the Year has yielded a candidate list of ten excellent tanneries for China.
World Leather - June/July 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year Finalist: Zhejiang Mingxin Automotive Leather Company, Zhejiang Province
Mingxin Leather is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. It is proud of pioneering work it has done in the automotive leather sector, especially its longstanding and ongoing investigations into the best ways to produce chrome-free leather for the same cost as chrome tanned. It is expanding and it now has global ambitions.
World Leather - June/July 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Bojos Tanning, Santiago, Dominican Republic
Bojos Tanning is a company that can trace its history back for almost a century, but perhaps the most dramatic event in that 100 years occurred in 2007 when flood waters wiped out the business completely. The Bojos company could have walked away, but decided to stay and fight for its future instead.
World Leather - Apr/May 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: The Americas
The fourth programme of Tannery of the Year has yielded a candidate list of eight excellent tanneries for The Americas region.
World Leather - Apr/May 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: JBS Couros, Itumbiara, Goiás, Brazil
Six years ago, JBS had no tanneries: now it’s the largest producer of leather in the world. This achievement has come about through acquisitions, and then through careful planning, restructuring and investment in innovation. The tannery at Itumbiara is one of the clearest examples of the speed and the scope of the progress that the group’s leather division, JBS Couros, has made.
World Leather - Apr/May 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Packer Leather, Australia
At one time, in the area around Brisbane, there were dozens of tanneries. Packer Leather, the only one still tanning, has survived through determination and its ability to move with the times, from sheepskin in its early days to its position now as one of the few tanneries in the world that can meet sports and outdoor footwear brands’ demands for kangaroo leather.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Saigon Tan Tec, Vietnam
For years, tanning industry entrepreneur Thomas Schneider dreamed of building his ideal tannery from scratch. When a plot of land became available just north of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, he took the chance to turn his dream into reality
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2014
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Couro Azul, Alcanena, Portugal
Family-owned and -run, Couro Azul is part of the Carvalhos Group of tanneries, based in Alcanena, Portugal’s main leather industry hub. Its main focus is automotive leather, with steering-wheel leather its specialism, but it aims to expand more and more into upholstery leather for cars, aircraft and for other forms of transport seating.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2013
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Wollsdorf Leather, Wollsdorf, Austria
Wollsdorf Leather sells 70% of its leather to high-end automotive firms, working hard to meet all their requirements for quality and reliability.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2013
Downloadable PDFReal tanneries, real life
The fourth Tannery of the Year Global Awards programme is about to start; the first of the new reports will appear in the next issue of World Leather (December 2013-January 2014). During the first three editions, we have had the privilege of seeing at very close hand the life and work of the 29 finalist tanneries in all parts of the world. This paper highlights just one example from each of their many initiatives showing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in action.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2013
Downloadable PDFPrimeAsia China picks up global award
A move towards making improvements internally at PrimeAsia China on measuring the “resource-heaviness” of its leather has begun to make a wider impact on the global leather industry. The 2013 Tannery of the Year competition has recognised the example the company is setting and acknowledged its commitment to doing things well.
World Leather - Apr/May 2013
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Royal Leather, Pakistan
Royal Leather Industries, which processes goat and sheepskins and cow and buffalo hides from raw to finished leather is a long-term supplier to major furniture group Ikea. The lessons it has learned from working with the Swedish group have helped it meet the demands of customers in the footwear, garment and leathergoods sectors too.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2013
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Midori Hokuyo, Japan
The Midori Hokuyo tannery in Yamagata is the only remaining automotive tannery in the home of automotive supply chain excellence. It aims to prove that many of the quality and continuous improvement initiatives to have come out of automotive manufacturing can work well in the production of leather.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2013
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Seton AutoLeather, South Africa
Now part of the GST AutoLeather group, the Seton AutoLeather tannery is making a positive impression on head office and on its customers for quality and efficiency.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: PrimeAsia China
Part of the network of tanneries that PrimeAsia runs, the facility in Huangjiang in southern China is a long-serving supplier to many of the footwear industry’s household names. More recently, it pioneered a way of calculating the carbon footprint of its leather.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year Americas 2012: Nominations
The 2012–2013 edition of Tannery of the Year competition is under way and in this issue we look at the Americas. There were 11 shortlisted tanneries from which two finalists have emerged.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Lefarc – Leon, Mexico
Run by a fourth-generation Leon tanning family, Lefarc is committed to providing quality finished leather from quality raw materials to meet the needs of demanding footwear and leathergoods brands in Mexico and beyond.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: SB Foot Tanning Co – Red Wing, Minnesota, USA
SB Foot is determined to stay true to its roots and true to the people of the town of Red Wing, Minnesota, where it has been based for 140 years. However, it is also investing heavily in new technology to make the most of the raw material on its doorstep.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Gruppo Dani, Arzignano, Italy
As one of the biggest and longest established full-service tanneries in the northern Italian cluster of Arzignano, Gruppo Dani has grown into the role of an ambitious and pioneering company, determined to uphold the quality of ‘Made in Italy’ while making continuous progress in sustainability and in communicating openly with the outside world.
World Leather - June/July 2012
Downloadable PDFThird Tannery of the Year programme kicks off
Now in its third edition, Tannery of the Year, the industry’s platform for celebrating its best examples of excellence in corporate social responsibility, has more momentum behind it than ever.
World Leather - June/July 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Sepici Grubu, Torbali-Izmir, Turkey
A family-run tannery near Izmir in Turkey, Sepiciler runs separate production lines for vegetable- and chrome-tanned leather, as well as for sole leather. It has clients in high-end markets across Europe, Asia and North America.
World Leather - June/July 2012
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2011: Cool judgement
The ten finalist tanneries were judged on their technical ability, environmental programmes, social responsibility, sustainability, investment, and relationships with customers.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2011: Review
Almost a year’s intensive analysis of a select group of the best tanneries in the world reached its climax in Shanghai on September 6 at the final judging and Gala Dinner for Tannery of the Year 2011, the global leather industry’s most glamorous and high-profile awards programme.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2011
Downloadable PDFInnovation Part 1: Recycling and regeneration
Twenty world standard tanneries have opened their doors for in-depth study as part of Tannery of the Year Awards 2009 and 2011. Considerable technical information has been published in World Leather following these visits, and there has been an emphasis on environmental aspects. This article is the first in a series that picks out some of the highlights from the innovation stories these top tanneries have shared with us.
World Leather - Oct/Nov 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Artículos de Piel Los Favoritos (B’Leather), Dominican Republic
The Bermúdez family has been creating jobs and promoting exports in the city of Santiago in the Dominican Republic for nearly 160 years. The family has been in the leather business since 1940 and now focuses exclusively on the export market, making finished leather for big-name footwear and automotive clients.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year Americas 2011: Nominations
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Coming Indústria e Comércio de Couros, Trindade, Goiás, Brazil
A facility set up by three brothers to process hides from Brazil’s centre-west region has become one of the country’s most important exporters of wet blue as well as an active and dedicated provider of help to the communities that surround it.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Elico, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Proud of its status as Ethiopia’s only tannery currently exporting only finished leather, Elico has plans in place to increase every area of its output and double sales. It is optimistic about the future.
World Leather - Jun/Jul 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year Africa 2011: Nominations
World Leather - Jun/Jul 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Nakara, Windhoek, Namibia
When you operate the only full-service tannery in a country like Namibia, you have to be prepared to work with a wide variety of material. Windhoek-based Nakara has built up a reputation for being able to tackle just about anything.
World Leather - Jun/Jul 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Xingye Leather Technology Company, Anhai, Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, China
The Xingye Leather Technology Company, part of the leather cluster in Jinjiang City in Fujian Province, believes it stands out from the crowd because of the way it treats its people and the investment it has made in improving its environmental practice.
World Leather - Apr/May 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: Gansu Hongliang Leather Limited, Guanghe County, Gansu Province, China
Located among the hills and caves of Guanghe County in the north of China, the Gansu Hongliang wet-end tannery employs 300 people in a newly built facility. The company’s focus is almost entirely on making upper leather for women’s fashion footwear and the company enjoys strong ties to some of China’s most prominent footwear brands.
World Leather - Apr/May 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: PT Budi Makmur, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Founded in the city of Yogyakarta in 1966, PT Budi Makmur is devoted to tanning small skins (goat and sheep) for gloving and shoe upper leather. The company’s remoteness from the bulk of the global leather industry has made it especially creative and resourceful in the way it runs its tanning operation.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year finalist: TehChang Leather Products, Taoyuan, Taiwan
The TehChang tannery in northern Taiwan believes it has the knowledge and the ability to provide a bridge between leather production in Asia and leather consumption in North America and Europe. It is also positioning itself to be an important supplier to consumer brands that want to focus on the domestic Chinese market.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2011
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Hulshof, Lichtenvoorde, The Netherlands
Hulshof Royal Dutch Tanneries has been based in Lichtenvoorde in the east of the Netherlands since the middle of the nineteenth century. It operates from a busy residential part of the town but has won acceptance from its neighbours thanks in part to its innovative approach to environmental management.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2010
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Heller-Leder, Hehlen, Germany
Automotive and furniture upholstery leather specialist Heller-Leder has been a prominent presence in the quiet Lower Saxony town of Hehlen for 90 years. Its commitment to keeping all aspects of production on its home turf is as strong as ever.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2010
Downloadable PDFThe launch of Tannery of the Year 2011
After the success of the competition in 2009-2010, we are delighted to get a new edition of this unique competition under way.
World Leather - Dec/Jan 2010
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year Awards goes far beyond benchmarking
A review of the first Tannery of the Year Awards Programme, offering a recap of what the initiative stands for, what the criteria are for tanneries across the world to become finalists and an extensive report of the first Gala Dinner in Hong Kong on March 29 at which the winners of the 2009 competition were announced.
World Leather - Apr/May 2010
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: Tata International Leather Business Unit, Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, India
The tannery in the town of Dewas, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, is a core component of the leather business unit of Tata International, part of the Tata Group, the largest private-sector firm in India. The tannery is a large-scale operation, sourcing 150,000 square-feet of raw material every day and producing three million square-feet of finished leather every month for prominent footwear, leathergoods and garment brands around the world. The facility was the first tannery in India to earn the right to put the country’s Eco-Mark label on its leather and, with a strong commitment to empowering the workforce there, Tata International is confident the site can continue to make an important impact on the whole community in and around Dewas for many years to come.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2010
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year: PrimeAsia Vietnam, Ba Ria, Vung Tau, Vietnam
PrimeAsia set up its third tannery, in Vietnam, in 2002 to build on the success of its facilities in Taiwan and China. The Vietnam site is now an important component of the group and is working hard to keep its performance levels high.
World Leather - Feb/Mar 2010
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2009: South Cape Ostrich Tanning, Mossel Bay, South Africa
A detailed, eight-page report on Tannery of the Year finalist South Cape Ostrich Tanning, South Africa, highlighting the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and to technical innovation.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2009
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2009: Pittards-Ethiopia Tannery Share Company, Ethiopia
A detailed, eight-page report on Tannery of the Year finalist Pittards-Ethiopia Tannery Share Company, highlighting the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and to technical innovation.
World Leather - Aug/Sep 2009
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2009: Bridge of Weir Leather, Scotland
A detailed eight-page report on Tannery of the Year finalist Bridge of Weir Leather, highlighting the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility and to technical innovation.
World Leather - Jun/Jul 2009
Downloadable PDFTannery of the Year 2009: Josef Heinen GmbH & Co KG, Wegberg, Germany
A detailed, eight-page report on Tannery of the Year finalist Josef Heinen GmbH & Co KG, highlighting the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and to technical innovation.
World Leather - Jun/Jul 2009
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