Tasman Industries continue to grow

Tasman are currently handling more than 85,000 hides/week across five locations, one of which is for pork. They have recently completed plant expansions at their Omaha and Amarillo facilities by adding 4,000 hides/day to their capacity. In addition they broker a further 10-15,000 hides/week which are sold directly to the tanners. Not content with a throughput of 100,000 hides/week, they plan to open another facility within six months which will bring the total up to 115,000 hides/week. In 1947, Goodman 'Goodie' Tasman and his brother Bernie started a hide operation in Louisville, Kentucky, with their life savings of $1,250. What occurred over the next 58 years is a story of one man's dream and how that dream became a reality. Determination, honesty, optimism, loyalty, trust and good old-fashioned hard work became the foundation for Tasman Industries. Goodie's philosophy continues to drive the company even after his death on April 11, 2005. Tasman Industries began with four hides and, today, the company are one of the largest hides processors in the world. In 1972 Goodie decided to move from salt packing and mixer curing of hides to a more modern operation. Using his own design for a system based on a simplicity of moving parts, he created an operation which was both efficient and operationally sound. In the spring of 1973, Goodman & B Tasman began raceway curing and fleshing of bovine hides and for the first two years these were sold on the domestic market. By this time Bernie had died and Goodie's son Norman entered the business. It became evident to both Goodie and Norman that expansion was the only path to survival. In 1989, they purchased their second operation in Fort Worth, Texas. Production increased from 12,000 hides per week to 22,000 per week. A few years later a second fleshing machine was added along with more raceways and production grew to more than 30,000 per week. Trying to position the company in the major cattle producing areas, Tasman purchased the former Beef America operation in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1999. With back to back fleshing machines and 15 raceways, this operation has become Tasman's largest plant producing 40,000 hides per week. Looking to strengthen their position in cattle rich areas, in 2002 Tasman purchased the Hollander plant in Amarillo, Texas. Through intense renovation, Tasman have expanded the operation to two fleshing machines and six raceways processing in excess of 20,000 hides per week. Total cattle hide operations currently account for in excess of 90,000 hides per week. In 2003, Tasman continued to expand with the purchase of their first slaughter operation. Pine Ridge Farms kills 10,000 sows per week in Des Moines, Iowa, with the capacity to double that number in the future. Tasman Industries have maintained steady growth in an industry that is characterised by downsizing. They have done so by building long term relationships through trust and friendship with a guarantee of never sacrificing quality or customer satisfaction. To serve the China market to its fullest, they have appointed American Hides Ltd as their agent. It is both Tasman and American Hides' commitment to serve the largest market in the world with a production that includes more than fifty selections. They say that their renowned process of double cure and double fleshing is only one of the things that separates them from the rest of the industry. Norman Tasman says: 'Our ever expanding use of new technology continues to monitor quality while preparing us for future endeavours. Quality and service will remain our promise and our trademark.'