W.J & W Lang pay tribute to tanning traditions in Paisley
09/03/2012
At a civic reception on March 8, Lang's offered a contribution to a project to restore the cloister at Paisley Abbey, the town's most famous landmark. Lang's is the oldest manufacturing company in Paisley still producing on its original site. The company employs 60 people and says it has increased turnover substantially in the last few years. It is part of the Scottish Leather Group, producing wet blue and wet white for finishing at the group's other tanneries, Bridge of Weir Leather and Andrew Muirhead.
Contributing to the abbey project was, the company said, a way of paying tribute to Paisley, but also to ancient tanning traditions in the town. Monks from the powerful Benedictine abbey of Cluny in France founded Paisley Abbey in the twelfth century and the town grew up around it. The monks, the company pointed out, used a site at nearby Seedhill Crags to tan leather to make their sandals.
Local politicians, including the provost (equivalent to mayor) of the local area, Celia Lawson, and the local member of the Scottish Parliament, George Adam, attended the civic reception on March 8 along with Lang's directors and past and present employees. At the event, Ms Lawson said: “Renfrewshire has a proud industrial past and, as one of the area’s longest running manufacturing companies, W.J and W Lang are a fantastic example of that continuing into the present. I greatly enjoyed my visit to the company earlier this year, seeing how the business works and has changed over the years and especially meeting the dedicated workforce. This reception is a way of celebrating their continuing prominent position in Renfrewshire’s business community.”
Hugh Gilmour, W.J & W Lang managing director, said in response: “We’ve been manufacturing in Paisley for a very long time and have seen generations of families work in the tannery, some now in their third generation. We remain committed to investing in our manufacturing process, from staff and training to innovation and sustainability. We hope that future employees can also see the benefit and are equally dedicated to working for a local specialist company who supplies leather around the world.”
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