The Danese Group of Arzignano showcased three groundbreaking innovations at their Tanning Tech booth in Milan: the range-completing Calati instrument, the Re-Brush®, and the D6-Cubelifter spring lifter
At the 2024 Simac Tanning Tech in Milan, the Danese Group of Arzignano (Vicenza) once again captivated attendees with three groundbreaking innovations for the Italian and international markets. Their booth was a hub of activity as visitors flocked to see the latest offerings from the parent company and its acquired brands like Calati, ZipCut, and Carm, alongside globally distributed brands like Aircom and Hector Martinez. Generating significant buzz was a new Calati product designed to be a game-changer for leather professionals. “It’s the 300AST softness meter,” explained Maurizio Danese, owner of the group. “We believe it will become an indispensable tool in every tannery, used on workbenches near machinery like drums and staking machines where leather softness is achieved and by technicians who select hides based on this crucial characteristic. We started with the ISO 17235 standard and completely reimagined the 300AST meter, now patent-protected. It took three years of research and development to arrive at this optimal solution, prioritizing simplicity and speed.”
Danese elaborated on the advantages of the 300AST: “Previously, you had to go to England to buy the only one available, much larger and 15 kg heavier, or visit a specialized laboratory for softness testing. Our new Calati instrument is readily available and user-friendly, significantly reducing expenses by eliminating measurement and travel costs. Most importantly, it saves time as the operation can be performed on the spot. It features a single lever with a two-click operation: the first click secures the leather, and the second provides the measurement, a value expressed in millimeters, according to the standard, indicating the depth of penetration into the leather. It can be paired with another Calati “jewel”, namely the thickness gauge. We brought the first three aesthetically elegant, gold-colored 300AST instruments to the fair which met with incredible interest among operators and our customers, who already own other instruments. We are thrilled with the response and confident that it will be a huge success.”
The second innovation presented at the Milan show was the Re-Brush®. “This isn’t entirely new,” explained Maurizio Danese. “It’s based on an old German system that we’ve revived, simplified, and made more cost- effective. We’ve solved the logistical challenge of shipping a 3.20-meter brush to customers, which required a heavy a box of the same length weighing 150 kg and considerable space at the client’s site. Our system involves purchasing the initial brush for installation on the machine and two lightweight sleeves, one left and one right, secured by clamps. When a different size brush is needed, ranging from 1.20 meters for smaller tannery machines up to 3.40 meters, we can quickly ship a lightweight package at a much lower cost.”
Finally, the third innovation showcased at the Danese booth was the D6- Cubelifter spring lifter, designed to be connected to the pallets used for transporting leather. “Currently, most tanneries use hydraulic systems, which require an electrical outlet that may not always be readily available. In some cases, a simple system for lifting the hide to the operator’s level is all that’s needed. Our solution, featuring a machine that moves on wheels, utilizes two springs that raise the pallet as the weight of the hides decreases, preventing the operator from having to strain by bending too low or reaching too high. I came across this idea while traveling in developing countries, and we adapted it with a modern, aesthetically pleasing design incorporating a steel tube.”
www.danese.srl – www.calati.online www.ezipcut.com – www.carm.global

Mubin Gafuri, Maurizio e Matteo Danese