Topcoat demands open doors in automotive for new leather chemicals
22/02/2017
Speaking at Tanning Tech 2017 in Milan, Mr Pellizzari told leatherbiz that increased demand for automotive leather in the last few years has prompted many tanners to try, often for the first time, to secure a share of this segment. He said Gemata has felt the benefit of this “because automotive leather requires a lot of topcoat”, sparking keen interest in his company’s Topstar roller-coating machine, which can offer tanners a saving of between 50% and 70% in the volume of topcoat chemicals required to give hides the desired effect.
“Tanners have to remain competitive,” Mr Pellizzari said, “and, naturally, they want to save as much as possible on chemicals.” He added that, although he is “completely neutral” about which chemicals Gemata’s customers use and believes they must work with whichever leather chemicals manufacturers they want, he understands that a reduction in the volumes of chemicals required to apply topcoat to hides for automotive customers is “not such good news for chemical suppliers”.
But he went on to say that this development has proved to be good news for some chemicals suppliers and he named Arzignano-based Samia and Santa Croce-based Multikimica as examples.
Samia has developed a topcoat product specifically for the Topstar machine, which the Gemata deputy general manager said is working well. For its part, Multikimica is making a stucco product tanners have used successfully to make leather for leathergoods available for use in automotive leather too, its managing director, Paolo Vanni, confirmed to leatherbiz.
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