ISA TanTec to acquire Auburn Leather

Kentucky-based Auburn Leather has been in business since 1863.

Leather maker ISA TanTec has announced a planned acquisition of US-based manufacturer Auburn Leather. ISA TanTec, which has four tanneries in China, Italy, the USA and Vietnam, said that definitive agreements have been signed to acquire Auburn Leather’s assets, brand and business. The takeover is expected to be closed in the second quarter of this year.

The ‘Maple Hill Tannery’ was established in the small town of Auburn, Kentucky, in 1863. In 1985, company president JR Howlett and his daughter Lisa bought the business and renamed it ‘Auburn Leather’. On his retirement the following year, Lisa Howlett became owner and president.

Key Auburn Leather personnel, including Ms Howlett, are to be retained to ensure continued quality and consistency of Auburn leather’s lace production. She will become the Auburn Leather brand ambassador and will assist in integrating Auburn Leather into the ISA TanTec Group.

ISA TanTec was founded in 1995 and entered the USA in 2015 when its first tannery was opened there. This facility involved a total investment of $10.1 million (£7.3 million), and offers 210,000 square metres of floor space. The group specialises in the manufacture of shoe upper leather, which is used by a number of international footwear brand owners.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 2 of the April 2018 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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