LEATHER REPORT: Richard Carr visits the Dalmarnock Works of Andrew Muirhead & Son and discovers that producing transportation-standard leather is a lot more complicated than he'd ever imagined

摘要

PERHAPS IT was due to my fondness for TV shows about wilderness survival, revealing how to make the most of that deer you've just brought down with your self-made longbow, but I never quite realised the depth of expertise that was required to produce high-quality leather until I visited Andrew Muirhead & Son. Established in 1840, its Glasgow, UK, factory no doubt initially used fairly simple techniques, but following a multimillion pound investment over the past two years, it continues to strive to be at the forefront of high-quality leather-making technology. This is particularly important as imported Chinese leather products continue to force European shoe and clothing manufacturers to seek new outlets - and the high-end transportation sector is firmly in their sights. So, with heavy investment in R&D and a virtually new finishing line - and more new equipment still to come - Muirhead is set on future-proofing itself against that threat as well as the increasingly strict rail regulations.