Peterborough firm E-Leather Ltd is to see its unique re-woven composition leather product fitted to Thomas Cook aeroplanes, saving the aircraft carrier thousands of pounds in fuel costs.
The exclusive agreement with Thomas Cook will see its E-Leather product fitted to six 323-seater international Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
For each reupholstered seat, Thomas Cook will save up to 25 per cent in seat weight-related fuel burn costs alone each year due to the weight of the E-Leather product being considerably less than that of natural leather. E-Leather weighs only 1,500g compared to 2,700g for natural leather, but it possesses the physical properties of natural leather, offering durability and comfort.
Project engineer for Thomas Cook Aircraft Engineering Bruce Millington, is delighted with the projected savings.
He said: "Not only will we make significant cost savings in our fuel spend, but we will also spend less on maintaining and cleaning the seats, as E-Leather is wipe clean and more durable.
"The value we are getting by using E-Leather is excellent. Our passengers will experience superior comfort while travelling, and its reduced weight will present us with huge cost savings."
E-Leather's engineered leather prime component is leather fibre derived from tannery by-products, which is intimately "re-woven".
The product is supplied in rolls which results in only a five per cent wastage compared to up to 40 per cent wastage for natural hides. The Bretton-based company distributes its unique material to the footwear, upholstery, leathergoods and transport sectors including aviation, railways and automotive.
Managing director Doug Hacking said: "It is a major coup for the business to be working with Thomas Cook, a leading leisure industry specialist and aircraft operator.
"The savings being made by Thomas Cook can be transferred to other aircraft carriers, and I am confident that this deal will lead to further work in the aviation sector."
City travel giant Thomas Cook UK & Ireland is the second largest leisure travel group in the UK with about 19,000 employees. It operates a fleet of 45 aircraft, with a combined overall fleet of 97 owned and leased aircraft and flies from various regional airports to destinations worldwide.
For further information about E-Leather and its applications across clothing and footwear products, visit the website at
www.eleatherltd.com.
Related:
Thomas Cook announces positive results, 30th September 2008.The full article contains 411 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
