Leather is still a hot item in international trade. India, a major exporter of leather, has over 550 tanneries near Calcutta alone. The Vietnamese company, Bitis, has the capacity to manufacture 12 million pairs of shoes per year and plans to enter the markets of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Advances in tanning and effluent processing are major priorities of the industry. The refinement of high performance leather has resulted in features that include improved water repellency, low water absorption, fast and soft drying, and durability.
Leather comes from hides and skins which are differentiated on the basis of size.
Large animals like cattle have hides, while smaller animals like pigs and calves have skins. The technical differentiation occurs at the fifteen pound point. Hides must be processed to produce leather. This processing includes pre-tanning, tanning and finishing. The pre-tanning process involves soaking, cleaning and washing the split hides.