Harry Stahl began blending chemicals in his bath tub in 1914 to supply the growing leather tanning industry. He founded the Stahl Finish Company in 1930. After expanding globally following World War II, Stahl now has manufacturing sites and technical centers worldwide, employing over 1,250 staff to supply over 4,000 leather finishing products with annual sales over €300 million. Stahl invests in developing environmentally friendly products and processes to serve industries like automotive, fashion, footwear and furniture.

2. AFTERCARE

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Harry Stahl began blending chemicals in his bath tub for his tannery in 1914! These leather finish
chemicals proved to be so successful, that in 1930 Harry Stahl founded the Stahl Finish Company
to meet the ever increasing demand for high quality leather chemicals by the tanning industry.
The company became increasingly international after World War II and moved its headquarters to
Waalwijk, The Netherlands in 1955. At that time the Waalwijk region played a pivotal role in the
global leather industry.
A shift in production to other regions in the world was the start of an extensive growth on a global
scale for Stahl and during the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s Stahl achieved this growth under different
parent companies.
During the 1970’s Stahl expanded its activities into synthetic substrates and is now able to provide
the highest quality products in automotive, fashion, shoe, upholstery and flooring industry. Stahl is
proud to be a leading supplier in the global leather industry.
Today Stahl has 8 manufacturing sites (The Netherlands, Brazil, India, Mexico, Singapore, Spain,
China and USA) and some 30 technical service centres around the world, employing 1.250 staff
among which some of the world’s best leather technicians and leather fashion experts.
The product range encompasses more than 4.000 products and generates a turnover in excess
of e 300 million. Stahl has had a global ISO-9001 accreditation for many years. An ISO-14001
has been established almost on a worldwide scale.
Increasingly Stahl invests time and energy into the development of products and solutions that
have a minimum impact on the community and environment. Stahl takes its role of corporate
citizenship very seriously and every day dedicated staff are on the constant lookout for better
solutions for both the end product and the manufacturing process.

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Our internationally renowned R&D laboratory is devoted to the development of the
most advanced care and repair products. Its “blue sky thinking” attitude is responsible
for many of the products you see on the supermarket shelves today!

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Stahl employs some of the greatest minds within the leather
industry; they lead the way technically and set the trends for the
market to follow. Experts from all sectors of the leather industry
ensure that Stahl remains at the top as a market leader in both
fashion and automotive leather!
Stahl has the most advanced test labs in the world, ensuring that
our products are developed to exceed industry standards time
and time again. Our technicians work side by side with the most
prestigious companies in the automotive, fashion, shoe and
furniture industries, developing finishes to meet the demanding
requirements of our clients. Knowing how these finishes are made
places us in the prime position to ensure that our care and repair
products are manufactured to the same specifications.

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Where we are today
In addition to our manufacturing plants we have
some 30 strategically placed Technical Service
Centres around the world to ensure that our
technicians are on hand to assist our clients
anywhere in the world. In fact, our Guangzhou
Technical Center is the first chemical test
laboratory that has full SATRA accreditation,
a prestigious certification in the leather industry.
Combined, this allows us to maintain the highest
level of customer service, timely delivery of
innovative high quality products and processes
while operating safely and in harmony with the
environment.
At Stahl we are very aware of our responsibility
towards the environment. As a result,
we maintain the strictest international
guidelines at all of our facilities.

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Manufacturing standards
At Stahl we constantly raise the bar, setting the standard for our
competitors to aim for. In order for our clients to create long
lasting leather, the finished leather must go through rigorous
tests and meet various standards. These tests will check the
leather’s colour fastness, light fastness, flexion, abrasion tests,
and so on. All of our products are tested in-house using the latest
lab testing machines, and to high standards, in most cases many
more cycles than the industry standard.
Stahl is also aware of the environmental impact of its operations
and follows strict international guidelines with regards to
“Green Chemistry”. All of our Aftercare products are water
based and comply with legislation.

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Leather Care
Contrary to popular belief, leather is not self maintaining. Whilst Over time, body oils, sweat and acids that naturally come into
it is low maintenance, it certainly isn’t NO MAINTENANCE. contact with your leather through general use will cause
However, it is much easier to maintain than many professional cracking, de-lamination and discolouration without proper
cleaning companies will have you believe. A simple regular cleaning and protection. You will see this clearly in areas of high
maintenance program will keep your leather looking and feeling traffic/use, such as steering wheels, arm rests, etc. Protecting
like it did on the day you purchased it. your leather from the start will shield it from these causes by
creating an invisible breathable barrier that will enhance stain
You do not need any leather maintenance experience or resistance and cleanability. Depending on the level of use,
knowledge to use our leather care systems, just the desire you should clean and protect at least once a month.
to maintain your leather goods.

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Anti-soiling system
Today’s lifestyle uses more casual clothing in our world of high
fashion. Furthermore there is a continuing trend to use more and
more light colours by the OEM’s. As a result, many tests and
methods of testing have been created to simulate the market
conditions with regards to soiling and the many different
contributing factors to soiling, both in automotive and upholstery.
Stahl has the solution to exceed all of the OEM specifications
and maintain the soil resistance with our aftercare products
which are specifically designed to meet the stringent market
requirements. In our laboratories, we are able to imitate the test
environment of our most discerning customers to make sure that
we provide the requested quality.
Quite simply, Stahl is the market leader in all anti-soil solutions.
Repelled stain
Stahl anti-soiling product
No anti-soil protection
Dye and soil particles
leather leather
draw into the leather.
LEATHER PROTECTION ADVICE
Protect your leather as soon as possible. This is especially Do not use household cleaners or home remedies, as they
true for lighter colours and leather with high traffic. can cause irreparable damage to the leather’s topcoat.
Maintain your leather every 3 months for maximum If you find your leather has stained, do not attempt to
protection. Use our mild cleaner and then re-apply your remove it yourself. Call a professional leather technician
anti-soiling protection. or visit www.stahl.com for guidance.
Keep your leather away from heat sources or direct
sunlight, as this will cause premature dryness and fading.

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THIS SEAT CAN BE VIEWED IN
OUR HEAD OFFICE IN WAALWIJK,
THE NETHERLANDS.
Comprehensive toolkits
The Aftercare department at Stahl has developed a specialist For this reason Stahl leather specialists have used their extensive
toolkit for the professional leather repair technician. The kit knowledge of the automotive industries chosen colours and
includes all the essential tools and consumables that you require developed a handheld colour fan deck and formula system. It is a
to tackle most repair jobs. In conjunction with our distribution basic colour matching system of 100 automotive shades with the
partners and experienced repair technicians, we have designed mixing formula on the back of each card. In most cases the
several training courses for companies and individuals that are formula will get you close to the colour with the need to make a
interested in adding leather repair to their service portfolio. small adjustment to reach the final match.
Colour matching aids This system is perfect for companies that wish to add leather
It is widely agreed that colour matching is the hardest skill repair to their service portfolio without considerable investment.
to learn within leather repair. With so many variables, some We have successfully implemented this system within some of
people are unable to ever learn the skill, let alone master it. the world’s most prestigious SMART repair and cleaning
Most companies that match colour on an industrial scale will use franchises around the world.
a spectrophotometer, but these are only as good as the database
that has been prepared for the range of colours, and most of the
time they will get you to a 95% match, with some allowing for
adjustment to a 99.5% match. However, spectros are extremely
expensive and therefore prohibitive to the smaller company.

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Another important aspect of professional leather repair is the correct identification
of the different types of leather. With the increasing amount of different finishes on
the market today it is sometimes hard for even the most experienced technician to
identify some leathers on first glance. With this in mind, we have given you some
basic guidelines on how to distinguish your aniline from your pigmented/top coated
or your nubuck from your bicast.
Leather with dye only, no protective top coat. Grain is natural and visible, with some
imperfections, but one of a kind. Leather has very little protection, is porous and will
ANILINE show signs of use easily. It is recommended to use a protector from new.
Leather is produced similar as aniline, but with a light coating of pigmented topcoat.
Slightly better protection than aniline, but still using a leather protection product is
SEMI-ANILINE advised.
Almost 95% of the leather manufactured and sold globally today is pigmented and
top coated. Grain and colour are uniform near to perfection; defects have been
“buffed” out prior to finishing. The highest level of protection with a protective
PIGMENTED/TOP COATED PU topcoat. Ideal for heavy usage in automotive and upholstery.
Aniline leather with a buff to give a fine nap; very susceptible to staining and the
effects of use. It is mainly used in items with very low usage. Regular use of a
NUBUCK waterproof protection system is required.
Leather with a soft waxy feel and a very distinct look with lighter areas, where the
leather has been bent or “pulled up” and has a distressed look. Often applied in
PULL UP fashion items.
Product made using low grade or even reconstituted leather. It is bonded with a
PU layer and a grain pattern pressed into it to make it look like leather with a high
BI-CAST gloss finish. Used in low quality, mass market upholstery.

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WHAT TYPE OF LEATHER DO I HAVE?
Does it have a nap like a billiard table? YES Most likely Nubuck. Very sensitive surface, marks easily and
may be permanently damaged by water spots and other spills.
NO
If you scratch it lightly with your fingernail YES Does it absorb moisture easily? YES An Aniline style
does it leave a mark? leather will mark
easily and may be
NO NO permanently
damaged by water
Does it absorb moisture easily? YES This is a semi- spots and other
aniline style spills.
NO with a wax/oil
‘pull up’ or
You almost certainly have protected leather; micro-pigment
either in single colour pigment, two tone or topcoat.
antique style.

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Customer service
Global service, local knowledge...
Not only do we have staff and offices in all corners of the world;
we also have a smart and motivated team from a variety of
industries to meet your technical needs.
If you would like to discuss any products or request further
information, our Aftercare experts are at your disposal:
Stahl Holdings bv
P.O. Box 110 - 5140 AC Waalwijk
Sluisweg 10 - 5145 PE Waalwijk
The Netherlands
T + 31 416 689 111
E stahl.holdings@stahl.com
Davide dal Ronco
Global Manager Aftercare
M + 39 345 996 3430
E davide.dal.ronco@stahl.com
Lee Bryan
Global Sales Technician
M + 34 661 669 412
E lee.bryan@stahl.com
www.stahl.com

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