Editorial

Editorial nº 73

The tannery laboratory

This issue includes a new paper, translated from the Japanese Association magazine, related to fat efflorescence; a contribution that brings a source of which only a few could take advantage – for language reasons, of course. There is another paper related to methods for evaluating leather abrasion, which was presented in the Rio Conference in 2008. This was the only Argentine oral presentation.
Moreover, this issue includes the 4th part of Tannery History. We will stop here to consider some points:
For the last year and a half we have been reviewing the tannery history in Argentina in our magazine.
In this issue, we will focus on what the Argentine tannery was like a century ago. Previously, in issues No. 70 and 71, we dealt with the Argentine tannery a century and a half ago.
In these papers, a point that was yet unclear to many was raised: a century and a half ago, tanneries consisted of productive units that did not use very sophisticated equipment, but which constituted small factories in themselves. No machines or chemical products were used. For a long time, tanning was based on crusts, and then on sawdust. It was a trade, which was passed down from father to son and had certain secrets. There were no laboratories in tanneries, and no one conceived that the activity could be handled by “leather chemists” instead of “tanners” by trade.
Several factors determine the appearance of the industrial tannery model, which is described in this issue.
Such a tannery does make use of machines and chemical products, does manage large-scale productions and does apply division-of-labor ideas.
Vegetal tanning is accelerated with vegetal extracts, and patches with chromium salts are tanned. The concept of a “technician” that defines processes begins to exist.

In some of the publications we have cited, such as Las Industrias del cuero en la República Argentina by Ugarteche (1927), the existence of laboratories in some industrial tanneries is mentioned.
However, other tanneries do not have any. This issue includes the reproduction of the original plan of a large tannery in 1919 that fails to have a laboratory, or at least, nothing is called as such.
Several sources provided us with dozens of photographs of different large tanneries at that time, but we could only find one single photograph of a laboratory, which illustrates the cover of this issue: the “Chemical department” of La Francia Argentina.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, professional activities start to emerge in our field worldwide: in the United States and England, meetings and Conferences are held by “Leather Chemists” to discuss analysis methods. Further, the first national and international Associations are created - which eventually result in the current ones - and publications are started: there are important milestones such as the London Conference in 1897, the creation of ALCA in 1903, and the publication of “Collegium” in 1902.
Leather chemists start defining their profile. They are technicians and professionals who carry out development, control and production management tasks in tanneries, as well as in technical centers and chemical supply companies.
Although there have been a few changes, that idea is still present nowadays.
The methods to deal with organization and responsibilities in different companies may differ; but lots of medium-sized and large tanneries are equipped with laboratories and, during the last decade, the concept of Quality Standards certification has also been included, involving different organization aspects.
One of these tanneries, Curtiembres Fonseca, occupies a relevant position with regard to this subject; their laboratory, which is reproduced in the cover, is the responsibility of AAQTIC Vice President, Ms. Patricia Casey. This is a particular case: her team usually presents papers in Congresses and Sessions. One of these papers, of great interest to us, is reproduced in this issue.
Also in this issue, within the “Costs and Management” series we have introduced a paper, also from the Rio Conference, about leather pricing by tanneries, an issue that turns out to be critical today. This series, initiated in our previous issue, has received a warm welcome.
We have also included an article on raw materials, together with statistical information.
The different series and sections will be alternated, since it is not possible to include them all owing to space reasons.
Finally, some steps are being taken towards the 3rd Session; we will try to include the papers headings in our next issue.