Chime was established in 1983 by Founder Alberto Toscano, and is the main company of a Group whose ‘core business’ is the distribution of chemical products for leather manufactured by Stahl Europe in Italy as well as the production of chemical products under its own brand.

The sector’s demand for Chime products is represented by companies specialized in the production of leather intended to be used as intermediate products in the manufacture of clothing, leather goods, footwear, upholstery and car interiors.

From the recovery of a food industry by-product to its transformation into a very high added value product intended for the fashion, upholstery and automotive industries, this is a historical example of the circular economy of a sector increasingly projected toward sustainable development within the tanning industry.

Thanks to the strategies developed, the specific technical skills of CHIME staff as well as the company’s in-depth knowledge of the activity in the sector and the territory in which it operates, in the last 10 years Chime has achieved important turnover results, increasing from €23.5 million (US$24.7 million) in 2011 to €64.7 million (US$68.1 million) in 2022.

From Strength to Strength

The professionalism of the organization has materialized over time with the centralization of IT, administration, logistics and R&D infrastructures.

These have expanded and diversified Chime’s corporate asset, giving life to a corporate group whose skills are functional to the Chime business, which operates nationally thanks to the constant work of its collaborators.

The development of the business follows the guidelines of the specialization of the products on offer and its technical services for the benefit of customers, not only in the distribution sector but also in product development, which opens into other industrial sectors.

Over the years, Chime has invested in the strengthening of existing application laboratories and in the creation of an analysis and R&D laboratory to support the innovation and sustainability of its customers in the industrial chemistry sector.

Chime has an organizational structure based on subsidiaries located in Campania, Tuscany, Veneto and Lombardy, each with specific geographical area to cover and created with the aim of satisfying the different end markets and to respond more effectively and promptly to customer demand.

In recent years, marketing flows and philosophies have changed the market, and in the spirit of valorizing the skills developed at the service of other sectors, Chime has expanded and diversified its commercial offerings to provide an increasingly complete portfolio of products.

Expansion and Continued Growth

To this end, Chime has employed a new Commercial Director, engineer Alberto Conti, who has vast experience at one of the most important multinational companies in the chemical sector.

Conti will continue the company’s growth by expanding its range of products and applications and developing the structure to adapt to the development of Chime’s business by defining roles and responsibilities of the various functions.

To support future developments and strengthen its position in the market, investments in logistics have also been made over the last a few years. These include new warehouses, which allow the company to move its main logistics center and expand its distribution platform in Central Italy to achieve greater efficiency and commercial opportunities.

This new structure will also accommodate new application laboratories and plants, as well as an increased workforce to include tannery technicians and salespeople for non-leather sectors.

Thanks to Conti’s extensive knowledge, talks have commenced with possible new suppliers, especially in Europe, to develop partnerships in other sectors such as cosmetics and detergents. A significant focus is on specialties with higher added value and using commodities only as a package completion to be offered to customers.

Chime has already expanded its existing product portfolio in food, oenology and nutracetics. And while its targets for the next few years are ambitious, with the right people in place along with its planned investments, the company is confident its ambitions can be achieved alongside its focus on sustainability and digitalization.