Manufacturing and Production

Leather Processing and Tannery Operations

A hide records everything that happened to the animal and to the skin afterwards, and no tannery process removes a defect that was made in the abattoir or during curing. This course starts there. Delegates work through hide and skin selection, curing methods and the storage that prevents putrefaction and salt damage. Beamhouse operations follow: soaking, liming, unhairing, fleshing and deliming, with the effect each has on the final grain. Tanning is covered across chrome and vegetable routes, including basification, penetration and the control that prevents an under tanned core. Post tanning is addressed through retanning, dyeing and fatliquoring, which together determine handle and colour. Finishing follows, covering base coats, pigments and embossing. Leather testing and grading are covered. Effluent, chrome recovery and solid waste are addressed directly, since tannery pollution is heavily regulated. The course closes on yield, on defect analysis and on occupational exposure in a tannery.