Leather Cluster Barcelona attends the opening of the new Colomer 1792 centre in Osona

On 24 October the Chinese multinational Henan Prosper opened its new hide distribution centre in Les Masies de Voltregà (Osona) to supply the whole of Europe. The investment is expected to generate 20 direct jobs. The company is called Colomer 1792 SLU and its director is Gil Font, a native of Osona.

The new facility covers 5,085 m2 and has entailed an investment of 5 million euros, bringing together warehouse and offices (927 m2 for offices and changing rooms and 4,158 m2 for the warehouse and a product showroom). The building was designed by the Osona-based company Colomer-Rifà and is located in the Torruella industrial estate in Les Masies de Voltregà.

This facility will be the Chinese group's flagship centre in Europe and will hold raw hides, semi-processed hides (both pickle and WB) and finished leather. It aims to offer a better distribution and sales service to European customers from the point of view of the finished product (nappa, DF and homecare), as well as to enter the fresh raw materials purchasing market in Spain.

The event was attended by the Secretary for Enterprise and Competitiveness of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Mr Joaquim Ferrer, a strong Chinese delegation from Henan Prosper led by its CEO Michael Lyu, together with local and industry authorities, suppliers, customers, family and friends. Some 200 people in total.

Leather Cluster Barcelona was represented at the opening by a large delegation of members headed by the president, Carles Riba Guixà, the secretary, Jaume Suriñach, the treasurer Jaume Ollé and the executive director Jordi Vidal.

In his address, Jordi Vidal, executive director of Leather Cluster Barcelona, stressed that "the leather industry is a key element of the Circular Economy in that it adds value to a waste product of the food industry. The cluster brings together companies that cooperate and compete with one another, seeking the necessary synergies that must be forged in order to strengthen all the industrial sectors that can be linked to it".