Highlights from more than 165 years of Tasso history

Our journey began on May 13, 1856, when Hans Rasmussen founded Tasso. The world has changed immensely but the vision upon which Hans Rasmussen founded his company, meaning to tap into the potential of cast iron, still stands and remains the backbone of the company. Since 1856, the business has expanded from a solo enterprise into one Europe’s leading suppliers of continuous cast iron bars with wholesalers across Europe and the world. Explore our timeline and key highlights below.

1856: THE COMPANY’S FOUNDING

Tasso A/S was founded by Hans Rasmussen in Odense, Denmark in 1856 as Frederiksgades Jernstøberi (from 1870 named H. Rasmussen & Co.). Back then, the foundry produced casted machinery and equipment for agricultural industry – such as harrows, and threshing machines. Along with various agricultural implements and machines, tiled stoves were among the earliest products.

1920: THE TASSO-RADIATOR

In 1920 radiators came into the product portfolio that, by virtue of its design, resembled a piece of furniture. These radiators were named “Tasso”, which was the first time that the Tasso-name was used. The Tasso name was invented as a short and easy word to remember and had no external references.

1947: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MACHINE SHOP IN HJALLESE

In 1947 a supplementary foundry was established in Hjallese, which is a small suburb in the outskirts of Odense, Denmark. The idea of this department was to create space for a larger production, but also to create a foundry department specialized in the production of boilers. The department was officially closed in 2001.

1961: CONTINUOUS CASTING

In 1961, a whole new mode of production was introduced – namely continuous casting. Over the years the continuous casting facilities have been expanded and today Tasso is fully specialized in continuous casting. The picture shows our first production plant, which was the first of its kind to be installed in Scandinavia.

1967: TASSO BECAME THE OFFICIAL COMPANY NAME

The Tasso name, which had been used for various products since the mid-1920s, as mentioned as a radiator type and later also for other oven products, was introduced as the company name in 1967.

1976: TASSO A/S IS ACQUIRED BY VALD. BIRN A/S

Vald. Birn A/S is one of Northern Europe’s largest foundry groups. The group consists of the following companies in both Denmark and aboard: Vald. Birn GmbH, Kockums Maskin AB and Uldalls Jernstøberi A/S. All sister divisions are specialized in different moulding or machining techniques.

2007: TASSO CHOSEN AS NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE SITE

In 2007, Tasso was chosen as National Industrial Heritage Site by the Danish Agency for Culture. Tasso represents a unique piece of Danish industrial history with cast iron as the focal points. From the 1840s, Odense changed from being a market town to being an industrial city. The Tasso area of the city is one of the best-preserved examples of a classic small mixed industrial district where employees working the iron industry lived right next to the factory.

2014: TURNING SURPLUS HEAT INTO WARM HOMES

Since 2014, we have provided district heating to the local municipality by recovering the heat generated from our melting, casting, and heat treatment processes. Today, Tasso supplies heat corresponding to the needs of around 300+ average single-family households.

2014: DIGITALIZATION JOURNEY INITIATED

In 2014, a digitization journey was initiated with predictive maintenance and plan for data analytics on process data. In line with the technological development, we continuously seize to optimize traditional workflows as well as collect valuable data that can provide insights on the production processes.

2017-2020: FROM PHILANTHROPY TO BUSINESS

Tasso participated in the 3-year project "From Philanthropy to Business" facilitated by The Confederation of Danish Industry. The goal of the project was for the 21 participating companies to integrate The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) into the company's strategy to ensure a sustainable development at the same time as creating value to the business.

2021: TASSO A/S ACQUIRED BERNAREGGI S.R.L.

In February 2021, Tasso acquired full ownership of the Italian cast iron stockist and machinist, Bernareggi S.r.l. Bernareggi has a warehouse of approximately 11,000 square meters, which, in addition to cast iron bars and bronze, also houses a wide selection of processing machines. Bernareggi is certified according to the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

2023: TASSO LAUNGHED NEW VISUAL IDENTITY

In January 2023, TASSO implemented a new visual identity, including a new and more modern logo. This followed a new and strong group strategy that renewed our focus on innovation, communication, sustainability and collaboration across the entire BIRN Group. This visual identity represents a unified group, why the remaining 5 subsidiaries have also had their logo refreshed.