World-first labelling system to save tanning industry millions - 2004

15 September 2004

Reject leather is costing Australian tanneries millions of dollars a year, but QUT has developed a world-first system to solve the problem.

Researcher Peter Spencer has come up with an electronic trace-back system to determine exactly where leather originates from.

He said there was currently no machine-readable labelling system that could withstand the tanning process and allow tanneries to determine whether reject hides were from their operation or another.

"Tanneries receive pallet loads of reject leather every week from leather manufacturers at a cost of around $100,000 per pallet," he said.

"Some tanneries have found markings that indicate they are reimbursing some clients for leather from other tanneries, even from overseas but there is no trace-back system to prove it.

"Tanneries also find that they receive more reject shipments when the Australian dollar is higher."

Labels in animal hides are currently made by the Gibson Bas Stamper which punches slits through the animal hide to produce numeric figures.

Mr Spencer said that while these labels can withstand the tanning process, not all hides are stamped and they are human readable, leaving room for errors. It also takes up much valuable, saleable room on the leather.

"My system involves taking a digital image of small punch marks in the hide, with software converting that image into a barcode which can be logged. Any returned hides can then be scanned and matched to those in the database," he said.

"While this system can solve a worldwide problem in the tanning industry, the Australian government is also interested in a trace-back system to reward farmers for consistently producing high quality leather."

The project was a collaboration between the industrial design and science disciplines. Australian tanneries and British Leather will soon be approached to determine interest in taking up the invention.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Peter Spencer	0407 150 367 Toni Chambers/Carmen Myler, QUT Media, 07 3864 1150