Beam House Machine Operator

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to operate as a Beam House Machine Operator. A Beam House Machine Operator handles raw hides and operates machinery and equipment in the lime yard to prepare raw hides and skins for tanning and convert raw hides and skins into pelts ready for the tanning operations. A qualified learner will be able to: • Handle raw hides/skins and operate a drum/paddle in the liming process to produce plumped hide/skin that has hair removed. • Handle raw hides/skins and operate a fleshing machine to remove fat and flesh from a hide/skin or limed hide/skin to produce a fleshed hide or a pelt. • Handle a limed and fleshed hide and operate a splitting machine by feeding in the pelt in such a way that there is as little variation in the thicknesses/substance of the split thus producing a grain split and a drop split.

According to information available from the International Trade Centre (ITC), leather is one of the world's most widely traded commodities. The trade in leather and leather products - worth more than US$ 60 billion per year - is predicted to grow even further. Trade in hides and skins, and semi-processed tanned leather is a lucrative business. Exports of hides and skins have fallen in recent years to below 4%, and at the same time, the livestock population has jumped about 25% over the last decade, faster than the world trend. The ITC, with financial support from the Netherlands, launched its Integrated Leather Sector Export Development Programme for support to the leather manufacturing industry and to boost exports whereby the entire continent stands to benefit. The successful development of the sector could help reduce poverty in rural areas. As a labour-intensive industry, it is an important source of employment. A Blueprint for the African Leather Industry is a report commissioned by the United Nations (UN) Industrial Development Organisation and jointly prepared by ITC, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Common Fund for Commodities. It identifies Africa's potential and makes recommendations to players in the supply chain - governments, the private sector and international organisations. The report is the outcome of the "Meet in Africa 2002" meeting that brought together 25 African experts in Tunis. Information from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on the leather manufacturing industry in South Africa shows that hides, skins and leather are by-products of farming stock and wild animals bred primarily for meat consumption and are mainly recovered from slaughterhouses and farms. Because the leather industry depends on the recovery of hides and skins of the farming stock and wild animals, availability of raw material directly depends on the size of the animal population, the take-off ratio and the weight/size of the hide/skin recovered. The quality of South African hides has been positively influenced by the rise in the number of feedlots operating in the meat industry, with animals thus spending less time in the open veldt. These hides are rated to be superior to other sub-Saharan African and most Asian hides, but inferior to most hides from Australia, Argentina, the United States (US) and Europe. Their relatively small size renders them just marginally suited for upholstery and automotive leather. However, over 60% of South African hides are regarded as suitable for automotive leather. The Motor Industry Development Program (MIDP) was introduced to support the leather manufacturing industry. The key component of the MIDP with regards to automotive upholstery is that it contained an import-export complementation scheme. Export of stitched leather seat covers responded positively to this incentive and increased the demand for local hides and skins. The raw skins, hides and leather industry are also an important earner of foreign exchange through the export of raw leather and tanned leather. The industry exports mainly to Europe (Italy, Turkey and Germany) and to Asia (Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong and China).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): RPL for access to the external integrated summative assessment: Accredited providers and approved workplaces must apply the internal assessment criteria specified in the related curriculum document to establish and confirm prior learning. Accredited providers and workplaces must confirm prior learning by issuing a statement of result or certifying a work experience record. RPL for access to the qualification: Accredited providers and approved workplaces may recognise prior learning against the relevant access requirements. Entry Requirements: • Level 1 with Mathematics.

• Produce a limed hide/skin to company standards by operating a drum/paddle whilst complying with safety and company standards.
• Mix chemicals for a range of liquors used in the liming and soaking process.
• Interpret and apply the indicators on the liming process sheet.
• Apply basic calculations to the liming and soaking procedures in the beam house.
• Correctly identify and handle a range of raw hide and skin according to type, substance and consistency to conform to quality standards.
• Operate the fleshing machine by presenting the hide in the correct manner to the machine to produce a fleshed hide.
• Operate a splitting machine to perform a split of a hide/skin to produce a grain or drop split.
• Maintain the quality of the split.
• Comply with safety and health standards and requirements during operation of the fleshing machine.