.4 New Tar Heel Product
Chamois From Sheepskin
From "\Vatb*»la
Маи
A familiar Greek Mylli Jells of Ja¬
son: he equipped his good ship, the
‘‘Argo,” and sailed away 10 find the
Golden Fleece.
But for the sheepskin beneath the
fleece, Jason had no use. It remained
for two enterprising immigrant chem¬
ists to give American commercial sig¬
nificance to the skin.
At Goldsboro, in the center of the
North Carolina Coastal Plain. Drued-
ing Brothers Company converts shccp-
rjlskins into soft and velvety chamois
and other leather specialties. Five hun¬
dred dozen (6.000) skins are finished
•:herc each day.
Diamond and Drutan brand chamois
nadc by Drueding Brothers can be
ound in gloves, pouches, jewel bags,
/csts and watch pockets as well as in
>ag$, linings of overcoats, muffs, caps,
oookbindings. knife eases, pen wipers,
:tc.
Chamois also has scores of polish-
ng uses, such as for window cleaning
)nd for automobile, furniture, silver
nd all metal polishing.
For Jason, it was the Golden Fleece
hat had great value, but for Drueding
Mothers, it is the golden chamois.
The largest manufacturer of chamois
the world, the company came to
ioldsboro last year, moving a large
art of its production facilities and cx-
Initivc office. In a 50.000 sq. ft. build-
tg constructed originally as a tobacco
action warehouse, the company found
100У.
OIL TAHHED
J4-4
^lumunA
м
>H‘ UtfMit/e fot m e/unmit
an efficient plant readily adaptable to
its manufacturing operations.
The Founders
The story of this enterprise began
some 80 years ago when Charles C.
and Henry G. Drueding, the brothers,
came from Germany to learn phar¬
macy at Pennsylvania College. On
graduation, they became druggists in
Philadelphia. From the retail drug
business to drug manufacture to manu¬
facturing chemists were easy steps for
the twin brothers, and as a result of
experiments with tannin and tannic
acid, they devised a new means to
produce chamois skin.
Starting in 1885 with a tiny office
and manufacturing area of less than
1,000 sq. ft. in Philadelphia, the com¬
pany has shown constant growth to
gain its present position of prominence
in the industry. Its production facilities,
located in Goldsboro. Philadelphia.
Newark, N. J.. and Peabody, Mass.,
exceed 300.000 sq. ft.
Research Base
The tradition laid down by the
brothers of improving the business
through research and production ef¬
ficiencies as well as aggressive selling
has carried through to the company
management of today.
Until fairly recent years, at least
six weeks were needed to produce a
finished chamois skin. Now it takes
approximately three weeks from the
time the sheepskins arrive at the Golds¬
boro plant until the finished chamois
arc ready for delivery to the company's
worldwide list of customers.
Much of the improvement that made
possible this cut in processing time was
done by the company, and many of
the machines were invented and built
in its plants.
Capable Management
Directing these advances and ca¬
pably managing the company arc a
group of veteran officers. Caspar
Drueding is Chairman of the Board,
and Russell W. Myers is President;
Frank Drueding. Vice-President; Al¬
bert J. Drueding Jr.. Treasurer and
E STATE. March 21. 19S9
the sheepskins ore
In
о
delieote operotion.
split into "skiver" ond
"llesbcr" ehomois is mode
'flcshcr.
Buffing wheels in Ihc Drueding finishing room
tronsform Ihc oil-imprcgnolcd skins into smooth
ond velvety ehomois.
Chomois skins, sorted by grodc, quolity ond
texture. ore cut ond sewed into sires morkctoblc
throughout the world.
Top portions of the sheepskins ore sorted for
finishing os hot bonds, bookbindings ond other
Icothcr uses.
я»
i
1 1
