YPIE Tour Blog Day Five: Muirhead Leather

Week two of our Young Professional Industry Experience tour is underway. Emily Dwyer of Herman Miller writes about the group’s trip to Glasgow company Muirhead Leather.

The start of week two began with a relaxing half hour drive to the site of five companies which make up the Scottish Leather Group (SLG): Andrew Muirhead & Son Limited, Bridge of Weir Leather Company Limited, W J and W Lang Limited, NCT Leather Limited and SLG Technology Limited.

We were greeted by Colin Wade, Managing Director of Muirhead Leather, and given an informative introduction into the SLG, with explanations of the five individual companies that the group consists of.

Afterwards, we were introduced to Ross MacKinnon, Technical Manager of LANG and NCT. From his experience and position within SLG, he was able to give us an informative tour of NCT, one of the two raw tanners.

Next door to this, we were shown around Muirhead’s sister company, Bridge of Weir. The main focus from this part of the tour was on the quality and processes used to cut panels for upholstery in the automotive industry.

The last visit, before leaving for lunch, was with Mike and Warren, of the SLG Technology Thermal plant. We were given an overview of the processes used to generate 6MW of energy from the solid waste products of the tanners. This element of SLG shows their determination to minimise waste to landfill and the negative impact on the environment.

After another drive, we arrived at Muirhead in Glasgow where we were given a tour that highlighted all the processes used. Towards the end, we were also given an insight to the new laser printing technology and the testing facilities.

Learning Outcomes

During our visit to SLG, we covered the following content:

• The processes used to obtain wet white and wet blue hides from raw hides.
• The processes used to obtain finished hides from wet white and wet blue hides.
• The range of industries that require by-products of the raw tanning processes.
• How a company may become environmentally friendly, and the benefits it brings.
• How new developments, such as laser printing, offer new opportunities for the company.

Has the visit changed our perceptions to the sector it operates in?

The vision to be the most respected leather brand in the world is not unfounded for Muirhead. As a group, their dedication to the environment, regard for animal welfare, quality products and willingness to create bespoke finishes for their clients, deserves the utmost respect.