History

A little bit from leatherette production history

1951
The start of the mass production - by the 30th of March 1951, there had to be the first 30,000 m2 of 135 cm width produced for the former AZNP company (today's Škoda, a.s.). The first leatherette was produced using PVC paste from the ICO company, acquired as booty. Even though it lay in a warehouse for several years, it showed good technical properties.

1952
Leatherette production had become a part of the newly founded national enterprise Technoplast Chropyně.

1956
A separate development centre was established and the first products were exported abroad (through PZO Centrotex Praha).

1957
Launch of the production of leatherette with a velour coating (used for ladies footwear and fashionable handbags).

1962
3 Dornbusch coating lines put into operation (investment of 49.222 mil. CZK). By building continuous lines, manual labour decreased by 50-60%.
During the 1960s, the significance of leatherette production increases due to antiimport reasons - the amount of materials imported into Czechoslovakia decreases distinctly (e.g. from Japan).

1970
The portfolio contains 76 types of leatherette in this year (16 footwear types, 14 upholstery types, 16 haberdashery types, 9 clothing types, 21 types for other portfolios)
The start of lightweight leatherette production. The main customers were distribution organisations Řempo and Rempo, also AZNP Mladá Boleslav, Kožnak, Napo, DUP Pelhřimov, Kazeto, Gala, Kozak, Czechoslovakian Railways
At the beginning of the 1970s, the RENAPA line started its production (technology using release paper).

1990
The leatherette production has become a part of Technoplast Chropyně a.s.

2002
The production is under the control of Fatra, a.s.

2008
Since 2008, the production of traditional Czech leatherette is a part of Svitap J. H. J. spol. s r. o., which has been its owner to this day.