Shank's: Lifting large animals since 1957

MILLEDGEVILLE – They’re a very big fish in a very small, and very specific, pond.

Shank’s Veterinary Equipment Inc., based in the village of Milledgeville, is a worldwide leader in the manufacture and sale of large animal surgery tables.

Goats and horses, zebras and gorillas, dolphins and manatees – if it weighs more than 500 pounds, Shank’s makes an operating table to accommodate it.

It’s a company many in the area might not even know about.

Mark Dettman, 55, of Milledgeville, and his father, the late Alvin Dettman, bought the company in 1989.

Alvin was welder for Eldon Shank, who started Shank’s Machine Co. Inc. in Sterling and started making animal surgery tables in 1957. Alvin knew the manufacturing end of the business and Mark had his own welding business in Milledgeville.

It seemed a perfect fit. The father and son decided to combine their knowledge, bought Shank’s and moved it to Milledgeville.

His dad retired in 1996, and now Mark, a quiet guy who doesn’t like to toot his own horn, has been running Shank’s for 27 years. His wife, Jennifer Dettman, 50, is his office manager, and they have four full-time and two-part time workers.

Their company tag line: “Lifting large animals since 1957.”

Shank’s makes “any type of lift table, whether it’s a surgical table, MRI table, necropsy table, or transfer cart,” Jennifer said.

The tables are made for animals that weigh more than 500 pounds and are sold to zoos, veterinary clinics, research facilities, and universities worldwide. There are Shank’s tables in more than 30 countries and more than 145 U.S. and international universities and zoological facilities.

You can find a tables with the Shank’s stamp at Seaworld, the Georgia Aquarium, and other marine mammal facilities.

Everything is done at the Milledgeville shop, and everything is made by hand.

All of the “actual structural frames, the assembling, the finishing, it’s all performed here,” Jennifer said.

As of now, Shank’s is at the top of its food chain, with no major competition in the United States. Their major competitors are manufacturers in the Netherlands and Finland, but even with that competition, international sales this past year accounted for 30 percent of Shank’s income.

What makes Shank’s stand out? “They’ve been around so long and have strong reputation for producing high-quality products,” Jennifer said.

“It’s not an easy business to get into. You need a lot of knowledge and understanding of the processes of large animal surgery.”

Overall, she said, the Dettmans are “pretty proud of how far we’ve taken it and the fact that we are world-renowned ... [and of] the fact that we can do all that from a little town of 900 people.”

A HISTORY OF SHANK'S

Shank’s Veterinary Equipment, Inc., originally Shank’s Machine Co., Inc., began manufacturing large animal surgery tables in 1957.

At first, the company made only one type of table, the Shank's Douglas Tiltmaster, that allowed vets to take a partially sedated, standing animal and lay it on its side. It quickly became the industry standard.

In 1978, Shank's introduced a second type of table, the Shank's Floor Model Surgery Table. Smaller and more versatile than the tilt table, it lifted animals using a scissors-like action and could be set inside a recessed pit, which mean the veterinarian could use the same room for induction, surgery and recovery. The company made two models, one of which was portable, for vets who had separate induction, surgery and recovery rooms.

A variety of optional extremity supports also were introduced, which allowed the vet to position the animal on its back or its side.

In 1988, yet another Shank's invention was created, a table that incorporated a "wing style," multisection surface.

Father-and-son team Alvin and Mark Dettman bought the company in 1989, and eventually moved it to 505 E. Old Mill St. in Milledgeville. Alvin retired in 1996.

Over the past 15 years, Shank’s has expanded into other areas of the large animal market, adding customized surgery tables, necropsy tables, stocks, and transfer carts to its product line.

In 2004, for example, the company created the Shank’s Large Animal MRI Table, a nonmagnetic MRI table that uses a pneumatic lift and can be used within the magnetic field of the MRI machine, "an accomplishment unique to Shank’s."

Today, in addition to its line of 15 tables, Shank’s also makes and markets heavy duty recovery stall doors, induction/crowding gates, deadbolt door locks and restraint rings. It also offers a line of other surgery-related items, such as padded recovery hoods, lifting hobbles and foam positioning pads.

And, because all of its items are handmade, "Shank’s has the unique ability to easily customize products during production, which sets it apart from its competitors."

– Source: www.shanksvet.com