Eagle Ottawa Introduces Ansole, Soil and Stain Resistant Leather

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Ottawa, the world's largest supplier of leather to the automotive industry, today introduced Ansole, a soil and stain resistant leather finish system.  With automobile interiors trending toward lighter colors, there is a greater need for interior materials to resist soiling and staining -- especially from denim.  Eagle Ottawa developed the Ansole finish system based on feedback from the automotive OEMs and tier-one customers.  The company is currently showing the new product to its customers and expects Ansole to be featured in several vehicles in the near future.  

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"Eagle Ottawa developed this product in response to our customers' need to offer light colored interiors that resist soiling and staining and avoid customer dissatisfaction. Our proprietary finish system employs both physical and chemical technologies that create a surface that is highly immune to the attraction of soiling agents," said Nathan Mullinix, Eagle Ottawa Vice President of Research and Development.  "It has a pleasant soft touch and Ansole meets all OEM engineering requirements and can be added to any current construction."

Ansole soil and stain resistant technology from Eagle Ottawa helps keep leather clean and makes it more cleanable once soiled.  This is accomplished by adding an inherently soil-resistant character to the leather finishing system, not through a secondary coating.  Ansole also has improved crosslinking and a smoother microscopic surface topography which insures fewer opportunities for dye or soil particles to become physically entrapped in the topcoat film. With Ansole, light colored leathers are up to 65% more stain resistant and up to 75% more cleanable against denim dye transfer.  In addition, with Ansole, light colored leathers are up to 60% more stain resistant and up to 85% more cleanable against carbon based soiling.

Ansole offers a variety of features that help to solve dye transfer and clean-ability issues with current leathers on the market.

• Up to 65% more stain resistant and up to 75% more cleanable against denim dye transfer
• Up to 60% more stain resistant and up to 85% more cleanable against carbon based soiling
• Decreases the surface tension of the finish coating to reduce the penetration and wetting of soil into the finish
• Alters the surface morphology to reduce the potential for mechanical entrapment of the soil
• Reduces surface friction and stickiness that contribute to squeaking
• Provides a more permanent solution than after-treatment
• Can be added to any current construction
• Meets all OEM engineering requirements

About Eagle Ottawa

Eagle Ottawa is the world's largest supplier of leather to the automotive industry.  Their premium leather products are found in nearly every automotive brand on every continent. A global company with design, sales and manufacturing, facilities in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, Eagle Ottawa is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich.  Eagle Ottawa has won numerous awards and accolades for its products and services.  In 2009, Among these, in 2007 they received the Toyota Global Value Improvement Award and were the only automotive leather supplier named as a 2007 General Motors Supplier of the Year.  The company's award-winning leather can be found in over 100 current models, including some of the world's most acclaimed 2008 vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, BMW 3-Series, Toyota Venza and Honda Accord.

Media Contact:  Janine Krasicky, J9 Media Solutions -- 248.542.3991, [email protected] or Jennifer Knoll, J9 Media Solutions -- 248-514-1418 [email protected]

SOURCE Eagle Ottawa