a study on assignment problem in leather industry

1.1 INTRODUCTION Leather is a durable and flexible material created by the tanning of animal rawhide and skin often cattle hide. It can be produced through manufacturing processes ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry. Leather comes from tanneries in various shapes and sizes depending on its intended use and the animal which it came from one thing to always remember about leather- it is an animal’s skin that has been processed into finished leather, not a synthetic material. Because of this the exact size and shape of the finished leather is dictated somewhat by the size and shape of the animal hide to process
The leather industry occupies a place of prominence in the Indian economy in view of its massive potential for employment, growth and exports. There has been an increasing emphasis on its planned development, aimed at optimum utilization of available raw material for maximizing the returns, particularly from exports. The exports of leather and leather products gained momentum during the past two decades. There has been a phenomenal growth in exports from Rs.320 million in the year 1965-66 to Rs.69558 million in 1996-97. Indian leather industry today has attained well merited recognition in international markets besides occupying a prominent place among the top seven foreign exchange earners of the country. The leather industry has undergone a dramatic transformation from a mere exporter of raw material in the sixties to that of value added finished products in the nineties. Policy initiatives taken by the government India since 1973 have been instrumental to such a transformation. In the wake of globalization of Indian economy supported with liberalized economic and trade policies since 1991, the industry is poised for further growth to achieve greater share in the global trade.

1.2 HISTORY OF LEATHER
Leather has played an important role in the development of civilization. From prehistoric times man has used the skins of animals