Veal producer PALI Group from ’s-Hertogenbosch and tannery Rompa Leather from Rijen, both in The Netherlands, will together re-start Hulshof Royal Dutch Tanneries in Lichtenvoorde which was declared bankrupt in November 2013. To this end, they have founded the joint venture ROMPA Tanneries.
The PALI Group hereby takes the next step in the chain. Optimum control of the entire production chain demands a highly integrated structure. Everything from the purchase of calves to their slaughter takes place under management of the family company Paridaans (founded in 1959, 2nd generation). Vitelco, part of the PALI Group, is one of the largest calf slaughterhouses in the world and provides calf skins that are a by-product of the slaughter process. Processing the fresh skins into wet-blue in Lichtenvoorde avoids having to salt and then later de-salt them. This saves costs and reduces the burden on the environment.
Rompa Leather, also a family business (founded in 1906, 4th generation), is a producer of high-quality leather for the shoe, furniture and leather goods industries. Since the 1980s, this production has been on the basis of wet-blue, a semi-manufactured product in tanning. However the restart of the tannery in Lichtenvoorde provides the opportunity to once again carry out the entire tanning process in house.
ROMPA Tanneries will continue and further expand on both the quality and the green image that Hulshof so successfully developed. Finished products will be developed and manufactured including calf wet-blue from Vitelco, bull wet-blue and crust for the benefit of sales to third parties. The biodegradable leather concept will be further developed so that wet-green or wet-white calf and bull skins also become an option. Finally, contract tanning, re-tanning and finishing will be facilitated for third parties.
ROMPA Tanneries in Lichtenvoorde will undergo a phased start beginning with the beamhouse and the re-tanning, the first two phases of the tanning process. The finishing department where the skins undergo their final processing will follow at a later date. These positions will, in as far as possible, be fulfilled by the experienced staff of Hulshof.