Profession leather goods artisanal worker

Leather goods artisanal workers manufacture leather goods or parts of leather goods by hand according to the specifications of the customer or their own design. They do repairs of leather goods such as shoes, bags and gloves.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Leather goods materials

  The wide range of materials used in leather goods production: leather, leather substitutes (synthetics or artificial materials), textile, etc; the way of distinguishing among various materials based on their properties, advantages and limitations.

• Leather physical testing

  Set of tests that describe physical features of leather. They include the analysis of the performance characteristics of leather, such as resistance to bending, to friction, to tearing, etc.

• Manual cutting processes for leather

  Cutting rules, variance of the leather properties on its surface and elongation directions of the footwear pieces.

• Leather goods quality

  The quality specifications of materials, processes, and final products, the most common defects in leather, quick tests procedures, laboratory tests procedures and standards, and the adequate equipment for quality checks. 

• Leather finishing technologies

  Equipment, technologies and techniques for coating and laminating finishing of leather according to product specification. Topics include surface preparation, equipment types, preparation of substrata, operation monitoring and applications related to different types of finishing, coatings and final articles.

• Leather goods components

  The various procedures and methods in the processing of leather materials and leather goods components like manufacturability and properties.  

• Spray finishing technology

  Equipment, technologies and techniques for spray finishing of leather according to product specification. Topics include surface preparation, equipment types, preparation of finishing mixtures, operation monitoring and spray applications related to different type of finishing, coatings and final articles.

• Leather products maintenance

  The way to maintain the quality of leather products, the product types and their effects.

• Leather goods manufacturing processes

  The processes, technology and machinery involved in the leather goods manufacturing.  

Skills

• Repair leather goods

  Adjust, treat, repair and replace broken or deteriorated parts of leather goods such as shoes, bags and gloves.

• Manage quality of leather throughout the production process

  Manage systems for the customer-focused organisation of leather production processes. It uses strategy, data, and effective communications to integrate the quality approach into the culture and activities of the company and also to achieve the organisation’s mission and goals.

• Use manual sewing techniques

  Use manual sewing and stitching techniques to manufacture or repair fabrics or textile-based articles.

• Identify defects on raw hides

  Analyse, identify and evaluate the possible defects present on raw hides/skins. Defects may be of natural origin (e.g. damage by parasites), caused by bad practices at the farm, in transport, at the abattoir (e.g. incorrect flaying, pre-slaughter defects, improper conservation) or generated during the manufacturing process. The classification of Hides/skins and their subdivision into "selections" is based on the nature, magnitude and location of defects. The class of selection determines the type of processing, and consequently the type of article.

• Work in textile manufacturing teams

  Work harmoniously with colleagues in teams in the textile and clothing manufacturing industries.

• Apply colouring recipes correctly

  Prepare colour and other chemical mixtures in accordance with the recipes and/or the characteristics of the article to be achieved. Interpreting and applying the instructions, including technical and operational details for the execution of processes.

• Execute working instructions

  Understand, interpret and properly apply work instructions regarding different tasks in the workplace.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB