Dave Turner the president and founder of DCT has been in the leather industry since 1972. Andrew Muirhead & Son Limited appointed Turner the agency in March 1989, All staff on location at DCT have leather trade experience of at least 25 years each.

Andrew Muirhead and Sons was established in 1814 and is Europe's oldest leather producer. The company is a producer of high performance leathers for aircraft, specialist automotive and marine applications along with quality domestic and corporate furniture. The leather industry is one the oldest industries known to mankind. Our earliest ancestors used skins to protect their body, hands and feet.

Leather is made from the skin of any animal, reptile, bird or fish through a process known as tanning. This process preserves the skin, which would otherwise quickly putrefy or decay.

Today, the leather industry is scientifically based. Research is continually carried out to ensure the product is improved using the latest technology to meet modern day needs. With few exceptions, hides and skins are byproducts. Animals are reared for meat, milk and wool, not for the value of their skins. As a consequence, the tanner is not able to control the supply of raw hides. Hides are traded as a commodity all over the world on open markets and in competition with other tanners on a global basis. As a result, when demand is heavy, prices soar.

Additionally, even minor variations in economies and currency can cause major fluctuations in raw hide prices. The availability of cattle hides for leather is however, fundamentally dependent upon consumer demand for beef.

Today worldwide, at least half the leather produced goes into footwear, and around a quarter into clothing. Only around 15% goes into upholstery and the rest into small leather goods and other consumer products. Because of its durability and comfort, leather has been used for seating purposes throughout the history of transportation and furniture.

The early leathers were made from cowhide, calfskin, pigskin, deerskin, and goatskin leathers. The hides and skins coming from animals either hunted or farmed for food purposes.

The present trend is for most upholstery to be made from Bovine material (that is to say cattle hides) as this is readily available and best lends itself to the modern demands of designer, producer and consumer. Far from waning in popularity, leather continues to be the material of choice for many people, not just for corporate and domestic furniture but for automotive, aviation and marine applications as well. Whilst all of these upholstery categories differ slightly in their requirements, there are some common factors:

• Leather is highly aesthetic
• It is fashionable
• It is a natural product
• It has status appeal
• It is a comfortable material to be in contact with
• It is extremely durable

In the late fifties, the elegant but informal line of Scandinavian furniture design revolutionized the residential furniture industry. The need for softer cushion-style seating catalyzed the development of an upholstery leather that was softer, more flexible, sophisticated and yet maintained a good level of durability.

Traditionally, vegetable tanning was the method used to preserve leather, which resulted in firm, fairly unyielding brown colour leather (similar to saddle leathers). The development of mineral tannages resulted in a leather that was softer, finer and more durable and does not deteriorate with aging. Responsible leather producers have, for some time, been considering the environmental impact of their production. Extensive measures continue to be taken, to ensure that the process minimizes the use of resources and waste is treated responsibly. To such manufacturers, the costs involved result in higher manufacturing costs, of which the consumer is largely unaware.