Leather finishing technologies

Equipment, technologies and techniques for coating and laminating finishing of leather according to product specification. Topics include surface preparation, equipment types, preparation of substrata, operation monitoring and applications related to different types of finishing, coatings and final articles.

finishing of leather technologies
finishing of leather tehcnology
leather coating and laminating finishing technology
techniques, surfaces and effects of leather finishing
leather finishing technologies
leather coating and laminating technology

knowledge

sector-specific

Leather finishing technologies is an essential knowledge of the following occupations:

Leather production manager: Leather production managers plan all aspects of the leather production process. They ensure the required throughput of the factory in terms of quality and quantity of the leather. They organise the production staff. They monitor and ensure the operation of machinery and equipment. They cooperate with managers of each production department.
Leather laboratory technician: Leather laboratory technicians perform and report chemical analyses and physical tests of leather. They also perform and report chemical analyses of auxiliaries, environmental emissions and discharges. They ensure that the tests are carried out according to appropriate national, international or customer standards.
Colour sampling technician: Colour sampling technicians prepare recipes of colours and dyeing mixes. They ensure consistency in colour while using materials from different sources.
Leather goods artisanal worker: Leather goods artisanal workers manufacture leather goods or parts of leather goods by hand according to the specifications of the customer or their own design. They do repairs of leather goods such as shoes, bags and gloves.
Leather finishing operator: Leather finishing operators use machines for finishing leather according to the required specifications by the client for surface characteristics such as colour nuance, quality, pattern and special properties such as waterproofness, antiflame retardance, antifogging of the leather. They arrange the dosage of finishing mixes to apply to the leather and do the routine maintenance of the machinery.
Leather finishing operations manager: Leather finishing operations manager plan and organise the work of the finishing department. They are in charge of chemical supply and equipment management. They also coordinate the staff.

Leather finishing technologies is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this knowledge may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Leather goods production supervisor: Leather goods production supervisors monitor and coordinate day-to-day production activities of a leather goods manufacturing plant. They oversee quality control as well as manage the leather goods production staff. The work also involves organising the work flow as well as taking care of production plan and costs.
Colour sampling operator: Colour sampling operators apply colours and finish mixes according to the defined recipes. They apply pigments, dyes or other finishing mixes.
Finished leather warehouse manager: Finished leather warehouse managers organise and monitor the finished leather warehouse, stock levels and organise product packing and dispatch. They maximise the warehouse space and manage time to control the orders.
Leather raw materials purchasing manager: Leather raw materials purchasing managers plan and purchase supplies of hides, skins, wet-blue or crust in coordination with the production requirements. They negotiate processes and forecast the levels of demand for products to meet business needs and keep constant check on stock levels and quality to maximise business efficiency. They identify potential suppliers, visit existing suppliers, and develop business relationships with them.
Hide grader: Hide graders sort hides, skins, wet blue, and crust depending on the natural characteristics, category, weight and also magnitude, location, number and type of defects. They compare the batch to specifications, provide an attribution of grade and they are in charge of trimming.
Leather goods production manager: Leather goods production managers perform a wide range of activities and tasks in the field of management, namely, they plan, distribute and coordinate all necessary activities of the different leather goods manufacturing phases envisaging the accomplishment of the quality standards and production and productivity pre-defined goals.
Leather sorter: Leather sorters inspect and classify leather during and at the end of the production process according to the qualitative features, destinations of use and customer requirements. They work in the tannery and in the warehouses checking the quality, colour, size, thickness, softness and natural defects. 

References

1. Leather finishing technologies – ESCO