In Waalwijk today Stahl opened their new laboratory and a happy crowd drank copious amounts of beer and wine. Nothing new there. With openings in India and China and constant development in the Netherlands we have seen it all before. Yet this does not begin to tell the story.
I had happened to let slip that my first ever visit to Stahl in Waalwijk was when I won a British Kid Tanners Scholarship to travel to European tanneries and leather schools in 1966; so just as I was delighting in my first glass of rather nice white wine I was asked to make a speech.
Trying to find something to say when handed the microphone did not prove so hard since the role Stahl has played in helping the leather industry in these last few decades has been outstanding. More to the point with it comes a very long list of individuals I am proud to call my friends. While transactions pay the bills it is relationships that make the profits and it is the staff that builds relationships. Somehow or other all round the world Stahl have maintained a long list of really exceptional people. One of the other things about Stahl is that they have always tried to make products which add extra value, and in particular in the automobile industry have done so by looking further down the chain towards the consumer to understand what this added value should comprise. This is fundamental to ingredient branding and to getting leather established in its rightful place as a superior, renewable material.
But for the leather industry it has not been an easy 45 years. None of the three European schools I visited – Waalwijk, Darmstadt and Reutlingen – exist today and so it was poignant being there on behalf of the University of Northampton wearing the Corium Club pin in my lapel. And nearly all of the great tanneries we visited like KVL are also shut. The British Kid Tanners Association has long since disappeared. Even in the last ten years when Stahl changed hands we worried that the short term approach of venture capitalism was going to damage it permanently. Luckily we have clear evidence that the current owners have vision and are not there for the short term; I am sure that the industry will reward them for that.
Industry Sales value in The Netherlands is perhaps as high as it ever was
Looking at Northern Europe the industry has really been decimated over the last few decades. It is easy to become miserable – and yet if one examines the whole picture from raw to retail the story is not so gloomy. In Holland we have still quite a large number of medium size plants and machinery/chemical companies, but the two leading companies of Stahl and ECCO Leather stand out. Just the growth of these two dynamic companies alone means that the leather industry turnover in the Netherlands is perhaps as high as it ever was.
Also notable in Waalwijk is how important this little town is for moving the world’s shoes around. Holland is really a country that causes confusion with footwear statistics as matching up imports and exports when so little is made is always problematic. Waalwijk traders have picked up the license rights to many old and current brands and constitute a group with considerable critical mass. Do not forget, either, that both Nike and ECCO shoes have big European HQs in the Netherlands.
Even the UK retains an interesting industry although with a structure that traditional tanners would not recognise. There are few tanners but three sit at the pinnacle of worldwide industry in glove, suede and upholstery leathers. In Northampton we have a concentration of welted footwear makers who are regaining their place not just in the standard lines but in new and exciting styles. The UK has returned to being a major producer of automobiles and while it does not have the force of the big German brands it does have a very significant leather using segment of the world’s auto-leather market. Think of Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce. Even the redoubtable little Mini sells more than 50% of its cars in leather. And of course the UK is now quite a growth place for those luxury brands with a story to tell that somehow blends the best of history and craftsmanship with leading edge fashion.
And we must not forget that there is the University of Northampton. Getting the formula for survival right for leather is not easy but a determined move in the last decade has seen the tannery updated, the courses updated and modularised, far more relevant courses to fit with industry needs, and the research laboratories revamped. Talking of blended learning is not some alien thing but a given, understood as a key part of future interaction with industry stakeholders.
Waalwijk
20th September, 2012
I’m extremely impressed along with your writing skills and also with the format to your blog. Is this a paid topic or did you customize it your self? Either way stay up the nice quality writing, it is uncommon to look a great weblog like this one these days..|
What’s up, this weekend is pleasant in favor of me, as this moment i am reading this wonderful educational paragraph here at my residence.|
I like the valuable information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I am quite sure I’ll learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!|
Hi! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Many thanks|
Its such as you read my mind! You appear to understand so much about this, such as you wrote the e-book in it or something. I believe that you could do with some to power the message house a little bit, but instead of that, this is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back.|
Article writing is also a fun, if you be acquainted with then you can write otherwise it is complicated to write.|
Asking questions are truly good thing if you are not understanding anything entirely, except this post offers nice understanding yet.|
I am not sure where you’re getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic information I was looking for this info for my mission.|
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site provided us with useful information to work on. You have performed an impressive activity and our whole community might be grateful to you.|
Hello, Neat post. There’s a problem along with your site in internet explorer, may check this? IE nonetheless is the market chief and a big element of people will pass over your wonderful writing due to this problem.|
Terrific post but I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Kudos!|
It’s in fact very difficult in this busy life to listen news on TV, therefore I simply use the web for that purpose, and obtain the newest information.|
First off I want to say awesome blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my mind in getting my ideas out there. I do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted just trying to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips? Kudos!|
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after looking at some of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!|
I was able to find good advice from your blog articles.|
Exceptional post however I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Kudos!|
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A handful of my blog visitors have complained about my site not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any suggestions to help fix this problem?|
Good day! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m absolutely enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.|
Hi I am so delighted I found your blog page, I really found you by mistake, while I was researching on Digg for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say thanks for a remarkable post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the fantastic jo.|
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everyone else experiencing issues with your site. It appears as though some of the written text in your content are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This may be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen previously. Thank you|
Download Free Crack Pro Software!
Download Free Crack Software!
Download Free Crack Pro Software!
Get Converter Cracks!
Get Free IDM Cracks Date Reset!
Ludo Crack Games!
Get Free IDM Cracks Date Reset!
Get Free IDM Cracks Date Reset!
Get Free IDM Cracks Date Reset!
Download Free Crack Software!
Download Free Crack Software!
Download Free Crack Pro Software!
Get Converter Cracks!
Get Converter Cracks!
Get Converter Cracks!
Ludo Crack Games!
Download Free Crack Software!
Yes! Finally something about keyword1.|
What a material of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable know-how regarding unexpected feelings.|
I’m not sure exactly why but this blog is loading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.|
I’m not sure exactly why but this site is loading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.|
If you desire to obtain a good deal from this paragraph then you have to apply such methods to your won webpage.|
Hello there, simply became aware of your weblog via Google, and located that it’s really informative. I am going to be careful for brussels. I’ll appreciate in case you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!|
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates. I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.|
If some one desires to be updated with most up-to-date technologies afterward he must be go to see this web page and be up to date every day.|
Good replies in return of this issue with real arguments and describing the whole thing concerning that.|
No matter if some one searches for his vital thing, so he/she desires to be available that in detail, thus that thing is maintained over here.|
Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Thank you|
I am really loving the theme/design of your site. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems? A number of my blog audience have complained about my blog not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Firefox. Do you have any advice to help fix this problem?|
I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet users, its really really good article on building up new web site.|
Hi there this is kinda of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding knowledge so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!|
Howdy! I know this is kind of off-topic but I needed to ask. Does running a well-established blog like yours take a large amount of work? I’m brand new to writing a blog however I do write in my journal everyday. I’d like to start a blog so I can easily share my own experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers. Appreciate it!|
Ridiculous quest there. What happened after? Thanks!|
I visit daily some blogs and blogs to read posts, however this website presents feature based posts.|
My partner and I stumbled over here different page and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to checking out your web page yet again.|
Superb website you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get opinions from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Bless you!|
There is certainly certainly quite a lot to understand more about this issue.
I adore each of the points you possess made.
My web-site … RamiroYMaura
Hello there! This article couldn’t be written any
better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
He constantly kept preaching about this. I’ll send
this post to him. Sure he’ll have a great read. I appreciate you sharing!
my web site: wallet notebook pen
tadalafil max dose: http://tadalafilonline20.com/ tadalafil 60 mg for sale
generic pills buy cheap prescription drugs online