Italian tanners open new South African plant
Two of Italy’s prime movers in the field of automotive leather have opened a brand new tannery in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Located in Uitenhage, the R39 million ($4.35 million) re-tanning and finishing plant is a joint venture between Maria Levi SPA and Ambra Leather. Founded in 1946, Mario Levi is one of Italy’s longest-established suppliers of leather whose local subsidiary, Mario Levi Manufacturing SA, already has an interest in a wet blue plant near Pilanesberg. Though Ambra is best known for its furniture leather, it has been developing specialist automotive leathers for more than a decade.
Billed as one of the most modern facilities of its type in the world, the new tannery is capable of processing some 1500 hides per day, which are all retanned, dyed, finished and cut into components on-site. The finished components are then sent to a Lear Corporation factory at Rosslyn, outside Pretoria, where they are stitched together before being exported to Italy. Through all production is currently destined for Alfa Romeo plants in Italy, the partnership is understood to be talking to other potential customers.
The new Uitenhage factory has created 120 jobs, which could increase to 150 as production rises, according to managing director Tony Stottelaar. A further 100 jobs have been created at the Lear Corporation plant at Rosslyn as a direct result of the opening of the new plant.
A major factor in bringing the plant to South Africa is the government's Motor Industry Development Plan (MIDP), which makes it possible for import duties to be written off against the export earnings. . Speaking to the local press, Stottelaar said: "This is an all-new investment, with the very latest technology. It shows that the Italians have a lot of confidence in the future of the South African motor industry."
