Italian leather chemicals group GSC has said the various companies that make up the group will present new products for wet-end and finishing at the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) in Shanghai (September 3-5).

Innovations Exel will have on show include SOFT AK 1N, a synthetic-based fatliquor which produces “remarkable results” for footwear and leathergoods, the company has said. SOFT AK 1N has a high level of hide penetration, including the more compact dermis area; it does not cause looseness and produces a round and non-elastic texture.

This product can also be used in garment leather owing to its low specific weight, and it can help the penetration and the distribution of other fatliquors and dyes.

It is compatible with anionic and non-ionic surfactants, and therefore it can be used in combination with them.

According to Exel, SOFT AK 1N is useful in the production of white and pastel tone leathers owing to a high level of lightfastness and stability over time.

The company recommends preparing an aqueous emulsion of SOFT AK 1N (water/fatliquor:4-5/1) at 40-50°C and adding it to the drum.

Another new Exel product on show at ACLE will be AQ SYSTEM 566 MATT, a novel topcoat product with low environmental impact, according to its manufacturer. Its highly concentrated formulation requires previous aqueous dilution (1:1) to guarantee lower water transportation, the company has said. It gives low VOC emission (less than 1% when used in a 1:1 dilution), which Exel regards as “a remarkable result” for a topcoat product. In addition, it says the product offers “excellent chemical and physical fastness, accompanied by a remarkable degree of dull, and a pleasant touch”.

Letex, also part of the GSC Group, will introduce a novel series of varnish products at ACLE, improved, the company says, to satisfy recent market requests.

ISOFLEX 537, the first of these products, provides what Letex calls “an outstanding gloss”, similar to the effect produced by polyurethane-based bicomponent systems. At the same time, ISOFLEX 588/OP gives matt finishing without causing any greying-effect and gives leather a natural appearance, while leaving a warm silky touch, suitable for special applications such as “brush off” articles.

For its part, Vandoni, now part of the same group of companies, will present a range of products recently improved to target current Italian fashion trends, such as waxed-finishing articles and pull-up effects.

LM WAX 2013, for example, has been developed for moderate-to-high burnish articles with high levels of brilliance and re-polishable effects. Another Vandoni product, LM WAX GUP, can help tanners produce strong pull-up articles with no modification of the original softness of the leather.