The future of leather manufacturing on full display in Milan
The dust has settled on another exceptional SIMAC Tanning Tech, and as we reflect on three intensive days at Fiera Milano Rho, one thing is crystal clear: the leather industry's data-driven transformation has reached a tipping point.
We had a front-row seat to witness an industry in the midst of profound change. The conversations, demonstrations, and partnerships forged during SIMAC 2025 reinforced our belief that leather manufacturing's future isn't just automated and data-driven - it's already here.
A different kind of SIMAC
Walking into SIMAC 2025, we immediately noticed something different from previous years. Two years ago, our conversations were about proving that automated leather grading was even possible. Last year, we started demonstrating early wins and building confidence with the tangible advantages that verified hide data was proving. This year? The industry had moved well beyond skepticism and many were assessing the several defect detection solutions showcased.
The questions we fielded weren't about whether our technology works - they were about how to retrofit existing systems, how to scale across multiple production sites, and how to handle data integration with existing infrastructure. This shift represents more than market maturation - it signals an industry ready to move from evaluation to action. The real differentiator now isn't just having AI capabilities; it's whether your solution integrates seamlessly with the systems manufacturers have already built.
The urgency of now
Perhaps the most striking aspect of SIMAC 2025 was the palpable sense of urgency among attendees. Regulatory pressures, sustainability mandates, and competitive dynamics are converging to create what many described as a "burning platform" for technology adoption.
Here's what surprised us - the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which dominated conversations in previous years, rarely came up this time around. Instead, the focus has shifted to challenges that directly impact daily operations: maintaining quality standards with an aging workforce, standardizing decisions across geographically dispersed operations, and navigating a market that's increasingly split between high-volume commodity production and high-value artisan work.
Where previous years featured exploratory discussions, SIMAC 2025 was dominated by implementation planning. Attendees arrived with specific timelines, budget parameters, and integration requirements already mapped out. The shift from interest to readiness was unmistakable.
Global perspectives, local insights
SIMAC's international nature provided valuable insights into regional differences and global trends. The production map is being redrawn. Hide processing is migrating away from Europe to regions like Brazil, driven by cost advantages that are reshaping the competitive landscape. European manufacturers remain focused on compliance and sustainability, while emerging markets are prioritizing efficiency and consistency as they scale operations.
What unites them all is the recognition that manual, subjective quality assessment is no longer sufficient for modern leather manufacturing. Conversations with visitors from Brazil, India, Africa, and beyond revealed that the challenges we're solving - inconsistent grading, labor shortages, quality disputes, and traceability requirements - are truly global phenomena requiring scalable technological solutions.
What we brought to the conversation - Mindhive FinishSelect™ takes center stage
We were fortunate to have a front-row seat to this transformation, and the conversations at our booths reinforced what we're seeing in production environments worldwide.
The crowds around our Mindhive FinishSelect™ demonstrations showed the appetite for finished leather automation. Watching industry veterans experience it for the first time never loses its impact. The technology inspects and maps defects on hides in 15 seconds with precision that matches or exceeds master graders - a significant improvement over the traditional 10 minute manual assessment and marking process.
We showcased this integration through the Dectura workflow, our collaboration with Mind's nesting software and Zünd's cutting systems. It demonstrates how quality data can flow from assessment through to automated cutting without manual handoffs - no data re-entry, no translation errors, just continuous flow. This is the kind of interoperable, open architecture solution the industry is asking for: technology that enhances existing workflows rather than requiring wholesale replacement.
Beyond technology: building partnerships
What became clear through many conversations is that manufacturers are looking for more than technology vendors - they want innovation partners who understand both the technical capabilities and the nuances of leather manufacturing. The opportunity isn't just deploying grading systems; it's working together to reimagine entire quality management approaches, from raw material assessment through to customer-facing quality assurance.
Bridging the production data gap: from wet-blue grading and sorting to finished leather
But what truly captivated visitors wasn't just the speed or accuracy. It was the data. Each hide generates a comprehensive digital quality profile that follows the material through the entire supply chain. For an industry increasingly focused on traceability and transparency, this represents a paradigm shift from subjective assessments to verifiable quality data.
The leather manufacturing process has traditionally operated in silos - with quality data often being lost between wet-blue grading and sorting. The integration between Mindhive’s BlueSelect™ and BlueSort™ solutions are changing that. The quality intelligence captured at wet-blue becomes your competitive advantage at sorting - enabling you to optimize pallet allocation, reduce disputes, and maximize the value of every hide before it leaves your facility. This means we’re creating a continuous thread of verified intelligence that follows each hide through its entire journey.
This isn't just about grading at two different points - it's about building a connected data ecosystem where early-stage quality insights inform downstream decisions, reduce waste, and enable manufacturers to optimize their entire operation rather than individual steps. When your wet-blue data speaks directly to your finishing line, you're not just processing leather more efficiently -you're unlocking a new level of strategic control over quality, yield, and profitability across your entire value chain.
Looking forward
As we packed up our booth and reflected on the week, several themes emerged that will shape the industry's trajectory. Manufacturers want integrated solutions that grow with their operations. They need verifiable data that creates transparency across the value chain. And importantly, many are ready to move from evaluation to implementation with partners who understand both the technology and the industry's unique challenges.
The enthusiasm and engagement we experienced at SIMAC 2025 reinforces our belief that the leather industry's transformation is accelerating. But more than that, it demonstrated an industry ready to embrace change, invest in innovation, and build a more sustainable, efficient, and transparent future.
The conversation continues
For those who visited us at SIMAC, thank you for the engaging discussions and challenging questions. For those we missed, the innovation doesn't stop when the exhibition halls close. The future of leather manufacturing is automated, verified, and sustainable - and it's happening now.
Ready to be part of the transformation? Let's continue the conversation.