> News - 2012
8th May 2012
Scottish Leather Group refits £60m Saga Sapphire with Low Carbon Leather specification
Following a £60 million refurbishment, Saga's newest flagship cruise liner, the Saga Sapphire, has been outfitted with both Andrew Muirhead & Son and Bridge of Weir low carbon leather.
With over 2.7 million customers, the over-50s cruise specialist named the ship after suggestions from Saga's loyal Britannia Club members. Featuring contemporary and eclectic design with a British twist, Saga worked closely with designers RPW Design, a London-based leading interior design house, and purchasing consultants Joanna Knight Interiors.
Joanna Knight at Joanna Knight Interiors said:
"We chose to work with Scottish Leather Group because of the high quality and value of the products on offer. As well as a wide range of colours to choose from, Andrew Muirhead also produced bespoke colours for many areas of the ship through their flexible manufacturing process. A further deciding factor was the high level of stock availability and speedy production turnaround."
"The customer service received has been exemplary - with such a large project and critical lead times it is essential that suppliers work well with the purchaser and the client. In this case I am happy to report that both Andrew Muirhead and Bridge of Weir excelled with their attention to detail."
The majority of the hides specified were Ingleston Linen in colour and were used within the new range of spacious cabins for chair and headboard upholstery.
Other natural colours from Andrew Muirhead included Sateen Oyster, Ingleston Gunmetal, and Ingleston Stone and a further five bespoke shades were also manufactured. From Bridge of Weir, muted hues of Grampian Doe, Grampian Vintage Rose and Caledonian Ocean were used throughout the ship.
These hides are found throughout the vessel in both public and private areas including the Pole to Pole restaurant, The Britannia Lounge, Coopers, Aviators Bar, The Academy, the 'East to West' Sri Lankan and Thai cuisine restaurant and the informal Grill Veranda featuring a state-of-the-art kitchen.
The leather was also used in the Drawing Room, predicted to be one of the most popular places on board, featuring a walk-in larder and a library outfitted with iPads, a first for the company.
Jan Wilson, managing director at RPW Design commented:
"As premier UK leather manufacturers, we selected both Bridge of Weir and Andrew Muirhead leather for a variety of reasons - the competitive price point, the quality and superb durability."
"We had exacting requirements for the subtlety of the leather colouring and the flexible manufacturing process offered was top of the range, resulting in five bespoke colours produced in partnership with RPW Design. We were able to achieve exactly what we were looking for."
Archie Browning, sales director, Andrew Muirhead & Son concluded:
"We are delighted to have been specified for such a prominent project in the marine industry. Having departed for her maiden voyage earlier this week, we wish passengers a smooth sailing and hope all on board enjoy the luxurious new surroundings."
21st April 2012
Bridge of Weir Leather Company, for the fourth time in its illustrious history, has been recognised with a Queen's Award for Enterprise
The award, for international trade, was announced today, 21st of April 2012 - The Queen's birthday, and the year Her Majesty celebrates the Diamond Jubilee (1952 - 2012). Bridge of Weir Leather Company will hold the honour for the next five years.
With total sales up 150% during the three years to the end of September 2011 (the period covered by the 2012 award), and 90% of production exported, Bridge of Weir Leather's primary commercial focus is on the global automotive industry. The company's appeal also extends beyond the automotive sector, with the Scottish leather found in luxury yachts, private aircraft, some of the world's finest restaurants and hotels and on premium mobile telephone handsets.
Bridge of Weir Leather Company chairman, Jonathan Muirhead, said:
"It is a great honour to be recognised once again by the Queen's Awards for Enterprise. Bridge of Weir Leather is now a major export business, with 90% of production sold overseas. We have experienced very significant growth in recent years, with total sales up 150% and our unique Low Carbon Leather representing innovative British manufacturing techniques in over 60 countries around the world."
Established in 1905, and now a subsidiary of the Scottish Leather Group, the company boasts Europe's most advanced leather production facilities, and since the opening of an all-new thermal energy plant in 2010, the 'greenest' as well. The thermal energy plant underpins Bridge of Weir's production process, and as the only one of its kind in the world leather industry, takes what was previously waste sent to landfill, and converts it directly to energy for heating the water required in leather manufacturing. The result is the world's first truly Low Carbon Leather product.
With investments in a joint venture production facility in China, manufacturing operations in Mexico and a sales office in Detroit, Bridge of Weir Leather has become a truly global player in the automotive sector. The company's motoring heritage dates back to the early 1900s when it first started to supply the iconic Model-T Ford. Its automotive client base now includes Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercedes AMG, Volvo and most recently Fisker and Infiniti - who selected Bridge of Weir Leather for its low carbon attributes - in keeping with these manufacturers' plug-in hybrid model values.
Jonathan Muirhead added:
"Our commitment to quality, the environment, cutting-edge design, high technology manufacturing processes, animal welfare and customer service is our unique selling proposition and we put our international successes down to these sacrosanct business attributes."
19th April 2012
Bridge of Weir Low Carbon Leather features in new Infiniti Emerge-e concept from Japan
Bridge of Weir Leather Company has been chosen as interior material supplier of choice to the critically acclaimed Infiniti Emerg-e concept car, revealed to the world for the first time at the Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland in March.
Chosen for its unique brand of Low Carbon Leather, Bridge of Weir has supplied two grades of soft leather, in black and metallic champagne colours, to adorn the Infiniti Emerg-e interior's characteristic flowing lines and sculpted edges. As a zero-emissions plug-in hybrid, the low carbon ethos shared by both Infiniti and Bridge of Weir made the fine Scottish leather a perfect fit for the Japanese premium brand's most exciting design to date.
Bridge of Weir sales director, Jamie Davidson, said:
"We are delighted with the results of our first piece of work with renowned Japanese brand INFINITI. Bridge of Weir Low Carbon Leather is a product that sits very well inside the Infiniti Emerg-e, which is a striking and beautiful design both inside and out. We are proud to have played a part in the project and wish INFINITI the very best with this fantastic plug-in hybrid."
With a production process supported by Bridge of Weir's innovative new thermal energy plant in Scotland, the Infiniti Emerg-e can boast that even its interior leather is low carbon.
14th April 2012
Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club visit Bridge of Weir
Bridge of Weir Leather Company were pleased to welcome members of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club - Glasgow Region to the factory on Saturday 14th April 2012. Around twenty members and guests with their Jaguar cars assembled at the factory and were given a presentation about the company and tour of the factory.
Jim Pettigrew, Secretary of the club commented afterwards:
"Without exception everyone thoroughly enjoyed seeing and hearing from those who took us around the factory how the transformation from natural hides to the final leather takes place"
29th March 2012
Scottish leather brings class and tradition to industry
In addition to a number of recent contract wins in the automotive sector, subsidiary of Scottish Leather Group, Bridge of Weir Leather Company has recently completed projects within the health and hospitality sectors.
Specified within Haskins Garden Centre in Hampshire, Kings Lynn Golf Club and the HCA International Hospital at London Bridge, the manufacturer of Low Carbon Leather is off to a busy start in 2012.
The Haskins Garden Centre at West End, Southampton has recently invested £3 million to enhance the existing buildings. Now seating 460 covers, Bridge of Weir leather hides in Russet were specified within the restaurant area on long lines of banquette seating.
Located in the Norfolk countryside, the clubhouse at Kings Lynn Golf Club has recently undergone a complete refurbishment. Looking out over the eighteenth hole and putting green, Bridge of Weir leather in Alpaca has been used here on tub chairs and bar stools.
Joann Marchant, managing director at Curzon & Co commented:
"We wanted a durable and long lasting leather that would continue to look good and feel nice - Bridge of Weir leather was the obvious choice."
Most recently, they have supplied to the HCA International London Bridge Hospital - a private hospital which looks over the River Thames and Tower Bridge in the centre of London. With over 100 en-suite patient rooms, Bridge of Weir hides in Grampian Totem have been used on seating in each.
The refurbishment is part of a wider redevelopment project for the hospital which includes two new operating theatres, a state of the art critical care unit and a refurbishment of the bathrooms.
Jamie Davidson, sales director for Bridge of Weir Leather said:
"Seeing Bridge of Weir leather in such a variety of applications is testament to the versatility and quality of our product. The high use restaurant, waiting and bar areas that it has been specified for will continue to look good years from now!"
29th February 2012
Scottish leather features in international British Airways' lounges
Leather from the Bridge of Weir Leather Company, part of Scottish Leather group, has been specified as part of a refurbishment programme in not one, but three British Airways international lounges. Working closely with the airline, the manufacturers of Low Carbon Leather supplied on trend natural hides for use within the relaxing lounge interiors.
In the BA lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Bridge of Weir Grampian hides in Buffalo, Explore, Pewter and Admiralty Blue were used for the re-upholstery of armchairs.
In British Airways' lounges at Dubai and Geneva, Bridge of Weir leather was also used as part of the refurbishment programme on 80% of the seating.
Angeline Mayhead, lounge development manager at British Airways commented:
"The lounge interiors were refreshed using Bridge of Weir Leather. In Nairobi specifically, leather supply is almost nonexistent and is accompanied by high import tax. We therefore greatly appreciated the timely delivery of the leather and high level of support from the sales team at Bridge of Weir."
The entire lounge refresh programme saw the re-upholstery of over 1500 seats. As an environmentally friendly product, Bridge of Weir leather was the preferred material, helping to support British Airway's zero landfill target.
Jamie Davidson, sales director for Bridge of Weir Leather said:
"It is fantastic to see Bridge of Weir Leather used in three of British Airways' lounge refurbishments. Not only is it testament to the quality of our product, but the fact that it will be in high use areas of the airport proves its durability."
31st January 2012
Scottish Low Carbon Leather first choice for luxury ships
The UK's largest manufacturers of leather, Bridge of Weir Leather Company and Andrew Muirhead & Son, subsidiaries of Scottish Leather Group, have recently supplied their Low Carbon Leather for the upgrade of two of the world's most luxurious ocean cruise liners, the P&O Oriana and the Queen Mary 2.
As the most established ship in the P&O fleet, the Oriana carries hundreds of thousands of cruisers worldwide and, assisted by London based designers Adfecto and following a multi-million pound refurbishment, has now been rebranded an 'adult only' vessel.
The luxury cruise ship plays host to bars, restaurants, shops and lounges and boasts a stunning Tiffany glass ceiling. She is also home to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White's Ocean Grill, as well as the Sorrento, a fine dining Italian restaurant.
Onboard, Andrew Muirhead leather in Sateen Sahara was used for the refurbishment of existing chairs at The Ocean Grill. Further Andrew Muirhead hides in Ingleston Sable and Bridge of Weir Grampian Taupe hides were used on Knightsbridge furniture at Le Club Nightclub and at the Sorrento Conservatory, Bridge of Weir leather in Grampian Lip was used on fixed seating and chairs by Italian manufacturer Potocco Spa.
Rebekah Ellis, of designers Adfecto Design commented:
"We specified Bridge of Weir and Andrew Muirhead for all the leather projects onboard the Oriana due to price, colour range and the extremely high level of service that they offered."
"Their top of the range colour matching service provided a near exact colour match for the scheme that we were working with."
Archie Browning, sales director for Andrew Muirhead said:
"It is a credit to see our leather used on such an iconic vessel. Named by HM The Queen in 1995 and now featuring Bridge of Weir Leather in some of the most prestigious areas onboard, we are delighted that the service we offer has once again been proved to be first class."
Cunard's flagship Queen Mary 2 has also undergone a two week refurbishment to celebrate her eighth birthday this month. Working in partnership with the original designers, Tillberg Design, the company aimed to restore the ship's signature elegance.
Andrew Muirhead hides in Lustrana Chestnut and Oxblood were used within the British pub, the Golden Lion, on sofas, stools, barstools and armchairs. The pub underwent a complete redesign where the new design retains its traditional character with warm colours and plush seating.
Linda Hult, interior designer at Tillberg Design said:
"There are two main reasons we chose to work with Andrew Muirhead, the first being that the colour and finish worked very well for the design and style of the pub. The second was the IMO certification of the leather and the fact that this rating was required for all materials used onboard."
Mr. Browning finished:
"Modern ship builders and interior designers up until now have found it difficult to source a leather that has the quality they need to make their design work, while meeting the very high demands for safety and quality at sea."
"We have achieved the coveted Ships Wheel quality accreditation and at last designers can specify premium quality leather that matches the most stringent safety expectations, as well as looking luxurious."
"Not only does it have to look top quality, but passengers need to feel comfortable and our leather delivers on all aspects required."
