I have been in the leather industry for over 35 years and my first impression must have been good because I am still here!

I finished secondary school and began to work, and slowly have worked my way up in the tanning industry. Everything I know I have learnt working in this industry and it gives me great satisfaction, both professionally and personally. In this job you learn constantly.  The chemical companies offer training to work with new resins or other chemicals. There are special programmes at the tanning school, but where you get to learn most is here at the factory.

 As specialist in leather finishing, my job consists in adjusting colours so that we can obtain the finish that we are looking for. It may sound easy, but it is not. Working with a live product is very difficult and the process is very complex, especially when you are looking for a finish that complies with the client’s specifications. The least pleasant side of my job is the pressure from the client. I have a feeling that they are not aware of the craftsmanship aspect of the leather and that you need a certain amount of time to achieve the finishes they ask for.  It seems to me that the client thinks that my job is to simply synchronize their request with a computer. 

There is a routine factor to my job, but I would never describe it as monotonous. Each day is different, each skin is different, each finish requires different techniques and processes and the products we use respond differently depending on the texture, thickness and colour of the skin. A routine is necessary to control the results, but even so I would never describe my job monotonous or having a high routine component.

I have the help of 2 assistants and 10 operators and without them I am nobody.  We continuously share knowledge and experiences and this keeps us motivated to continue seeking perfection.

I am proud of what I do, am proud of working for the leather industry but would like to see some younger people working here. They believe that we are dirty companies, but they are wrong.  We are in the recycling business and we are concerned about the environment and the ecology.  It may sound repetitive, but I am very proud. This industry has also allowed me to have a good career.