Ecco Leather is back in action. During the night between Sunday 4th and Monday 5th May, a massive fire struck the tannery in Dongen (Netherlands). Initially, there were fears that operations would be halted — a concern also shared by Mayor Hans Slagboom. However, the message received by La Conceria from Ecco Leather offers hope.
Ecco Leather restarts
In a message from managing director Bart Hofman, Ecco Leather explained that, luckily, the incident occurred outside working hours, so there were no injuries. Some local media outlets had initially reported that people had been taken to A&E. It is not possible, writes Hofman, to speculate on the cause of the fire, as investigations are ongoing. However, the most important part of the message is that the company is already ready to restart. “Our leather finishing facility is intact”, it reads. “We are working hard to identify an alternative source for our wet blue and crust leather production, in order to minimise any possible disruption for our customers”.
The fire affected the beamhouse, which is the area where the “wet” phases of leather processing take place.
Danger averted
Hofman also expressed gratitude for the many messages of support and offers of help that Ecco Leather has received. Good news, then, also for the town of Dongen — a place with a long-standing leather tradition, where Ecco Tannery Holland is now the last remaining tannery. “It would be a real shame if this last one were to disappear”, commented the mayor of Dongen to the website omroepbrabant.nl. Danger averted.
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