The former Prime Tanning name has been changed to Tasman Leather Group following the $6.5 million acquisition that took place early February. The tannery processes wet-blue mainly for the footwear upper leather market but Norman Tasman has plans to take production into the upholstery leather sector including automotive. ‘Our aim is to bring the tannery up to its 20 million sq ft capacity,’ he said. Around 150 people are employed at the plant which is the second that Tasman have acquired in North America following the acquisition of the former W B Place/Gutmann Leather tannery in Hartford, Wisconsin.
Tasman Industries is a family owned company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The company’s core business is in hide trading and in 2011 they are expecting to process around 162,000 hides a week from a network of operations across North America and overseas. They employ 500 people worldwide and in 2010 launched their Goodie Brands finished leather products and pet products. They also have operations in Mexico, Vietnam and Canada.
