A.S.K. ENLARGES PREPARED-FOODS PRODUCTION SPACE

ROSEANNE HARPER

PALMYRA, Pa. -- A.S.K. Foods here, a manufacturer of fresh, prepared foods and frozen products, has nearly doubled production space at its fresh prepared foods plant to meet the industry's greater demand.

The expansion increased the production area from 32,000 square feet to 52,000 square feet.

That, as well as the addition of new packaging and vegetable processing lines, was spurred by rapidly increasing orders and inquiries over the past two years, said Wendie DiMatteo Holsinger, chief executive officer of the privately held company. A.S.K. Foods manufactures a mix of products that includes both comfort foods and gourmet items.

"We were not quite at capacity when we broke ground for the expansion, but on some product lines it was getting too close for comfort. We were running three shifts, and we still are," she added.

The company's drive to increase its capacity reflects an acceleration in top-level strategic planning initiatives for prepared ready-to-heat food programs at supermarket chains, DiMatteo Holsinger said.

She thinks 1997 will be a telling year for the fresh, prepared foods category in general.

"I know that the consumer wants these products, but it's going to depend a lot on merchandising as well as quality," she said.

DiMatteo Holsinger said Boston Market's influence on the market has been a benefit to her company and to supermarkets. "They gave supermarkets a wake-up call. They showed them that people will go in to a location and buy a ready-to-eat meal and take it home; and that everyday-type food is certainly the type supermarkets can sell."

The new equipment A.S.K. added not only helps boost capacity, but also is aimed at enabling the company to focus on smaller, more customized batches, and on packaging in one- and two-portion containers, she added.

"The numbers aren't high per account, so we have to be very efficient with small batches," she explained.

This is the second expansion since A.S.K. built its chilled prepared foods plant in 1990. The company, in business for 48 years, also has a frozen food manufacturing facility at another site here. Production at the fresh prepared plant is more labor-intensive, DiMatteo Holsinger added.

The company's range of products currently encompasses more than 1,500 prototype recipes, covering everything from soups to salads to entrees and vegetable sides, she said.