The Origins
1832
- Byron Tanning was established in Roxbury, Massachusetts, by Joseph Byron. Sixty-five years later, Joseph's grandson, William D. Byron, opened his own tanning business after finding the perfect location in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western Maryland. He chose a 100-acre site close to the Potomac River where there was an abundance of rock oak stands, the prime source of tannic acid used in the vegetable leather-tanning process.
1897
- Soon the tanning industry was thriving and Byron Tanning continued to grow, modernize, and enhance its capabilities. In 1897, William built his first tanning plant on Conococheague Creek in Williamsport, Maryland.
1906
1922
- Seton authored the first automotive leather specification
1926
- A salesman named Alfred Fried reluctantly accepted leather skins in lieu of wages. Being an opportunistic young man, he launched his own tannery and trading company specializing in handbags and belts in Manhattan.
1933
- Alfred's brothers joined the business and soon the Fried brothers decided to tie their fortunes with another tannery called John Flynn and Sons to form Garden State Tanning. They began expanding their business, opening plants in Newark, New Jersey, and Cleveland, Ohio. As Garden State Tanning entered the automotive leather component business, they acquired additional leather tanning facilities. For the next 20 years, Garden State Tanning continued expansion, adding new facilities in Pennsylvania.
1976
- With the expanding auto leather market, additional production capacity was needed. In 1976, Garden State Tanning acquired the Williamsport, Maryland, operations formerly known as Byron Tanning.
The Modern Era
For the past 25 years, GST has continued its tradition of producing quality leather for the automotive industry. A number of key actions and initiatives in recent years have helped position the Company for the future. They include the following:
1990's
- GST partners with Toyota to become the first American supplier to learn and implement the Toyota Production System
- Leather sourcing team created in South America
- A state-of-the-art cutting facility is opened in Saltillo, Mexico
- Seton opens operations in Germany and South Africa
 2000
- GST enters the China Market with a Technical Services Consulting Agreement with Genfort
2003
- GST strategic decision: transition operations from US to Mexico
2004
- GST opens Nuevo Laredo, MX finishing facility
- GST and SRL enter into a Strategic Technology and Supply Agreement for retan and finishing in Shanghai
2005
- GST China opens headquarters in Shanghai
- GST and CUINBA enter into Strategic Technology and Supply Agreement
2006
- GST consolidates all cutting operations into Saltillo campus
- GST agrees to purchase CUINBA
- GST relocates Global HQ & Technical Center from Maryland to Detroit, MI
2008
- Advantage Partners LLP acquires GST
2009
- GST finalizes JV with SRL for finishing operation
- Seton acquires Feltex in South Africa
2010
- GST acquires Seton Company
2014
- GST signs joint venture with Tata International in India
2018
- GST adds new Finishing plant in Jiaxing China
2019
- GST opens new headquarters & customer development center in Rochester Hills, MI
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