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KEEPING UP WITH THE FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURER
JULY/AUGUST 2012 | www.footwearbiz.com
remained central to manufacture.
However,
there
have
been
considerable refinements to these
vessels, and the services to these
vessels, that have made leather
manufacture more consistent.
Drums became larger and more
sophisticated. In part this was because it
was easier to manage fewer, larger
vessels technically, but also because of
an increased efficiency in handling bulk
loads and services. This was not just
because of the availability of good
support equipment – forklift trucks,
conveyors and manipulators – but
because of improved work areas
demanded by the handling equipment
that enabled the fast movement of goods.
This increase in size impacted on
drum design. The internal structures of
these vessels changed to enable better
mixing of chemicals, and faster and
more complete removal of water after
each processing stage. A better
understanding developed for applying
forces more sympathetically to leather
within chemical process. The speed of
rotation was reduced and ordinary
shelves were replaced by mixtures of
shelves and pegs, and a shift towards
longer and deeper shelves. This
rationalisation was another significant
step towards uniformity.
MACHINE LINKAGES
As processes became better
controlled, with larger batches of
goods available for subsequent
operations at predictable times, it
became possible to link clusters of
machinery together using basic
conveyor systems. Examples were
quickly established where pieces were
delivered individually by track systems
into fleshing machines, onto a
conveyor for trimming, then to the lime
splitting operation. This could be
followed by the weighing of each
individual piece to gain an accurate
load weight, then delivery to the
designated processing vessel.
Water removal after tanning changed
from essentially mangling machines to
through-feed samm/setting machines
that stretched the leather flat then
offered the leather to belt presses to
gently press water from the hide
structure. Through-feed operations are
ideal for conveyor linkages, so
rationalisation was possible between
samm/setting after tannage, quality
assessment, area and thickness
measurement +/- splitting operations.
In drying areas, linkages were made
between samm/setting machines and
vacuum driers, with transfer onto pole
conveyor systems for gentle slow final
drying stage under ambient conditions.
Similarly linkages within finishing
areas where feed-through machines in
the form of spray machines and roller
coaters followed by drying cells could
be further rationalised. All of these
combinations ensured better control:
events changed from the batch
processing with their inevitable delays,
to a smoother and more consistent
movement where the outcome became
more assured.
THE SHIFT TO LARGER CAPACITY
TANNERIES
This combination of improved
management structures, control of
processes, machine operations and
movement of goods made other
development both possible and
desirable in many situations. It was
clear that for a long term future
considerable rationalisation was
required, and this required new
machinery and buildings to house this
equipment. The larger the units, then
the greater the potential of more
professional management structures,
the highest quality sales and marketing,
and improved cost effectiveness in
terms of direct and indirect labour
charges. Technical matters such as
treatment of liquid and solid waste and
energy could be tackled more
effectively when a greenfield approach
was possible; a new operation had
advantages in avoiding the many
health and safety issues stemming from
older plant and machinery.
New tanneries came into existence.
Many of these were in areas that were
expanding industrially, driven by the
shift towards globalisation and by
entrepreneurship within those regions.
These tanneries were larger and more
efficient, and led to the demise of
smaller less efficient companies.
The tanneries that survived were
more professional. The larger
tanneries were capable of change and
recognised new opportunities. The
smaller units provided special services
or products, that is, they were more
aligned to bespoke requirements.
MEETING THE SAME STANDARDS
These
advances
in
better
management systems, technical
control, and plant and equipment
enabled goals to be met professionally
in terms of customer specifications and
reliability of delivery. It also meant that
production parameters could be
replicated across several tanneries. In
other words, it was possible to provide
a customer with leathers from different
manufacturing sources that would
meet specification. Tanners could meet
the needs of highly organised footwear
manufacture and retail demands.
Ensuring standards: checking tensile strength.