Hartmann's Inc
Hartmann’s, Inc., opened their doors in 1955 and have proudly been operating in Abilene, Texas for 65 years. Hartmann's Inc. is a 100% certified woman owned business located in Abilene, Texas, with a second facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Patricia Hartmann, at 80 years of age, is still active in the daily operations of her business, along with three generations of family members. Patricia's management and technical skills for over four decades, in the machine shop industry, an industry not usually associated with a woman owner, are remarkable. Their current customer base includes medical, aviation, automotive, diesel engine, defense and aerospace customers. They are also known for the quick development of prototypes and production runs with mechanical assemblies as needed by the customer. Hartmann’s, Inc., produces high quality parts from their state-of-the-art Mazak CNC turning and milling centers, as well as their sheet metal fabrication and welding departments. They have an in-house, state-of-the-art, quality control laboratory. Customers receive superior quality, with no offshore supplier delays, and personal service, design, and state of the art processing. The job does not end until the part is satisfactorily installed and operating to customer specifications.
Hartmann’s, Inc., is ISO 9001 – 2015 and AS9100D certified. They worked with the SBDC and Procurement Technical Assistant Center in Abilene to become certified in additional areas for government contracting, as they are in Federal and Texas State HUB Zones. Hartmann’s Inc. is located just a couple of hours away from North America's largest Maquiladora region and appreciate their global customer base. They are proud that they ship numerous products world-wide, including Japan, Ireland, and Mexico. Clients enjoy the ability to cut warehousing cost and parts inventory requirements which may be needed when employing offshore sources. Hartmann's Inc., is capable of machining a wide variety of materials including stainless steels such as 303, 304, 316, 416 & 17- 4 PH and a wide range of cold rolled steel that includes 1018, 1144SP, 12L14, 4140, 8620, AL, castings and plastics such as Delrin, Peek, Injection Molded Plastics, Phenolic, and PVC. As part of the expansion, the company purchased thirteen new Mazak machines, at an average cost of $235,000 each, that are top of the line and provide for manufacturing under the most precise specifications in the industry. Hartmann’s also offers engineering support and refurbishment services of assemblies and machinery.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ownership and management worked with the Abilene SBDC, banks and other parties, to expand their facility and client base as they had an increased customer demand for products they manufacture. The Abilene facility expanded from 16,000 sq ft to 100,000 sq ft and began operations at the new facility October 1, 2020. Hartmann’s Inc., worked with the SBDC on a business plan that resulted in a combination of SBA and conventional loans totaling $5,985,000 (as detailed above). The company purchased $3,400,000 of new equipment in 2020 and plans to purchase an additional $3,200,000 in the next four years.
By the end of 2024, the company will expand its full-time job equivalents to 90 employees. Hartmann’s was also able to successfully fund their expansion and leasehold improvements for a new and improved 100,000 square foot facility. Over the past year Hartmann’s has increased production capacity, going from a 16,000 sq ft facility to a new 100,000 sq ft facility. Currently the company employs 39 FTEs, and foresees doubling of both production and employment in 2021.One of the stated goals of the facility expansion, equipment upgrades, and expanded employment, is to repatriate many of the manufacturing processes and jobs that have been done outside the USA for many years. Working with the Abilene SBDC CARES Coordinator, the company received a $365,000 PPP forgivable loan that allowed Hartmann’s to continue at the current employment levels for the eight-week covered period, as stipulated per PPP requirements. The CARES coordinator worked with the Company to apply for loan forgiveness with the bank and the loan has been forgiven as of this date.
"Since our company's humble beginnings in 1955 no one could have imagined our growth and expansion of our customer base across multiple industries. When we began our first discussions with First Financial Bank Abilene, they immediately suggested that we bring David Smith and the Texas Tech SBDC in on the project. Our family has known David for years, but we were not aware of what all the SBDC did to help small family businesses like ours. From the very beginning David and his team's assistance and guidance has been fundamental to our expansion. Even during a pandemic, David Smith and the SBDC have been there helping us turn a strong, Texas born company into a global player in the manufacturing industry." Alan Hartmann