Osmo-HTF Group based in Arzignano, a world leader in the production and sale of leather chemicals, continues its growth in performance and technical innovations
The winning business strategy of Osmo HTF, headquartered in Arzignano (Vicenza), in the most important tanning district in the world, will not change. Composed of two different companies, Osmo (founded in 2006 by Andrea Piazza, Fabrizio Nicoletti and Ludovico Massignan) and HTF (together with Paolo Armelli since 2012), have for years been a combination that has become an international benchmark in the tanning industry, especially in the production and sale of technical chemicals and dyes. The two brands guarantee the complete process: Osmo concentrates on the first phase, which goes from raw to dyed crust, by virtue of its strong expertise also in the field of dyes. While HTF (acronym for High Technology Finishing) specialises in leather processing and deals with the finishing phase, which the company has adapted by perfecting water-based fixing techniques, creating a range of ready-to-use products for any article.
These two companies are constantly evolving, seeking a combination of personnel, technology and processes aimed at achieving excellence, which is indispensable for not losing a competitive advantage in the global economy. Every year since the company was founded, there has been an increase in turnover compared to the previous 12 months, confirming an overall growth linked to new projects and innovations and the simultaneous entry into new foreign countries. This has also been the case during the Covid period, in the subsequent years characterised by rising raw material prices, and in the current situation, affected by a generalised drop in consumption. This positive performance has been possible thanks to the ability to get ahead of the competition in the challenges of an increasingly demanding and selective market, where in addition to quality, the use of environmentally friendly substances and the ability to respond promptly to customer requests, which also include major tanning groups, is essential.
Environmental choices have been fundamental in this positive path, in what has always been a solid mission that has borne fruit. Sustainability is in fact
a prerogative of Osmo HTF through the market offer of products with low environmental impact. These products are designed by a team specialised in the development of leather processing, a technical service that aims to solve the performance aspects of the articles, but also to raise awareness and guide companies towards production processes that are able to meet increasingly stringent regulations on compliance with parameters.
Piazza, Nicoletti and Massignan have been thinking about sustainability since the founding of the Osmo brand, when there was not yet such a need in the world of haute couture: together they grasped this need, which then led them to the decisive turning point, despite costly investments. Between 2012 and 2013, when rumours were beginning to circulate about the desire of brands to reach metal-free leather, they began a journey with possible expiry dates for regulations at a European level, which in reality then moved forward over the years. In the studies undertaken, the technical staff of the Arzignano group carried out initial research, discovering certain raw materials, which made it possible to create a range of products capable of guaranteeing that the leather would perform in the production of a high quality and sustainable product. Those years saw the creation of COSMOWHITE®, a process, patented worldwide, to obtain a leather that is more than 90% biodegradable.
At present, the group, which can count on a staff of 30 people, 28 of whom are technicians, almost all chemical graduates, is spread over four different sites, three in the industrial area of Arzignano and one in Castelfranco di Sotto (Pisa), for a total of about 5,000 square metres. The site in Tuscany, which serves companies in the leather district of Santa Croce sull’Arno, is independent, with a facility of about 500 square metres, equipped with a well-stocked warehouse, a workshop with tumblers and spraying lines. In 2026 the important milestone of 20 years of history will be celebrated, but Osmo HTF remains a young and dynamic company, established in a mature and super-competitive market and always ready for new challenges and the ability to almost always be ahead of the competition.
Paolo Armelli, Ludovico Massignan, Fabrizio Nicoletti e Andrea Piazza