A reputation for quality Stahl

A REPUTATION FOR QUALITY

Stahl is a customer-focused company, headquartered in the Netherlands, that specialises in providing high-quality chemicals, dyes and coatings for leather, as well as flexible and non-flexible substrates for performance coatings, textiles and related products. Abigail Saltmarsh looks at its operations.

For many years now Stahl’s products have been well-recognised internationally. Today they maintain their reputation for quality, and the group prides itself on its ability to innovate and its high level of technical service to customers.

“Our objective is to achieve the highest customer service level,” said a spokesman. “Our aim is to do this through on-time delivery of innovative quality products and processes while operating safely and in harmony with the environment.”

A focused approach

“Stahl operates eight manufacturing sites and some 30 strategically located technical service laboratory facilities world-wide. It employs approximately 1250 people in more than 28 countries, many of whom are engaged in basic research and development of new products and processes.

“Our products are applied in automotive, upholstery and fashion items, as well as in industrial applications and we operate through divisions, which focus on leather finish, performance coatings and automotive leather finishes”, explains John Fletcher, managing director of the company’s Leather Finish unit.

“Approximately 70 per cent of the group turnover is related to chemicals sold into the leather supply chain, with the remainder of sales attributed the performance coatings sector,” he says.

A complete range

Although Stahl’s Leather Finish business unit works closely with the group’s Wet End division, it is a separate entity, reporting to the CEO. It produces reactive chemistry and is a specialist in blending and processing advanced formulations. The company also has proprietary process technology for the manufacture of certain polyurethanes, cross-linkers and acrylic-urethane hybrids.

“We offer the complete range of chemicals needed for the finishing of leather, inclusive of basecoats, topcoats, pigments and crosslinkers,” Mr Fletcher says.

New products

“Traditionally, Stahl has been considered a leader in high performance topcoat technology for (automotive) upholstery, and a specialist in fashion products, such as patent or college finishes. This is now being modified with additions to the product line, which will address the current trend towards natural finishes. We are launching a new series of higher-performing water based pigments and completing an update to our wax and oil product portfolio. We also recently introduced a new series of chemistry dedicated to upgrading leather, which is distinct

and has advantages over traditional cationic technology”, Mr Fletcher elaborates.

“During 2012, Stahl will also be launching a brand new technology which offers significant weight savings to the leather industry, along with technology aimed at improving anti-soiling and anti-staining for leather goods and upholstery applications,” he adds.

Dominating markets

“Stahl’s Performance Coatings business has traditionally been derived from its leather operations, providing coatings to manufacture leather-like artificial materials,” says Uwe Siebgens, business director of the unit.

“This is still one of our major segments. Because vinyl is one of the key substrates in this industry, we have built a strong know-how on coatings for vinyl, which has helped us to dominate markets such as vinyl coated fabrics, for instance for tarpaulins and other technical textiles,” he says.

Also deriving from its leather business, Stahl is a leader in flexible polyurethane coatings. Stahl Performance Coatings has the advantage of having in-house polymer and crosslinker capabilities in combination with a strong compounding background.

Working with partners

Stahl offers a great variety of coatings, from abrasion-resistant, noise-reducing automotive interior lacquers, to inkreceptive coatings for digital print media, and from soft touch laptop coatings to the latest technology to produce materials for soccer balls. However, what is special, insists Mr Siebgens, is that it works with

partners throughout the whole value chain, which means it not only speaks to the user of coatings, but also to the specifier of the product, where the coating is finally applied. “For instance, in the automotive sector, we speak to tier one, tier two and tier three, but also to the OEMs. The same applies for shoe and garment manufacturers. Stahl helps the big brands of this world to improve their product quality for coating-related articles and is an exciting partner to create new features.

“We not only have the technical knowhow, but also have fashion specialists that keep a very keen eye on the latest trends and developments in this huge industry,” Mr Siebgens says. “To improve quality for the products of our customers, we utilise the biggest share of our global R&D capacity. There are dedicated and shared resources for the Performance Coatings division within our R&D department.”

Enhancing performance

Stahl’s Performance Coatings division recently launched a set of new products to enhance the performance of flexible floorings. Its next big launch will be flock adhesives for automotive sealing, a market, where its patented PermaQure® chemistry will bring added value.

“Another example is lightweight car interior seating and trim materials that will help the car manufacturers to reduce the weight of the vehicle and, as a result, their carbon emissions. Those are close to introduction with our customers and partners,” he says.

Sustainable future

Both divisions are looking for international growth. The company will launch Stahl Africa during the summer of 2012, based in Ethiopia, and will use the new application and distribution centre to better serve the growing market in equatorial Africa. It also aims to increase its presence in China, Brazil, Russia, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Both also plan to continue to focus on sustainability. “Our customers are striving for products that last longer and maintain their value and function,” says Mr Siebgens. “Stahl not only supports these efforts, but also makes sure that products are produced in harmony with the environment and, as far as possible, avoid emissions in transportation. In our R&D, we pay special attention to ingredient selection and sourcing and are constantly on the look-out for better substitutes.”

The future of Performance Coatings is in water-based technology, he goes on. “This is mainly driven by REACH legislation and similar activities in Asia, but also because of increasing pressure on reduction of VOC-emission for example in China. Also the big automotive, furniture and fashion brands have clear targets to reduce VOCs until 2020. Stahl is well prepared for this future because we have been leading this development in our segments for more than four decades already.”

Global reach

Stahl’s Leather Finish business is one of the few leather chemical companies in the world that can offer global reach, advanced chemistry and the right balance of technology and fashion, says Mr Fletcher.

“We are a leather chemical company first and foremost, but with a fast-growing performance coatings activity, and we fully intend to continue to reliably serve both regional and international customers in the future, with the products and services needed to maintain and grow our market position. We can say there will be an increase in the level of technology and fashion offered to clients in the coming year, as Stahl continues to attract the very best talent within the industry.” n