Our history explained and illustrated
If in 1858 the Trieste businessperson Jurij Gossleth had not bought a ship loaded with chrome ore and saltpetre, thinking that it carried dill, our chemical plant probably would not have existed. Instead, Gossleth, searching for a suitable place to process the cargo, discovered the Hrastnik valley. Everything was at hand: the railway, the coal, clean water and hardworking workers.
Two years later, in 1860, the plant – as the first in the then Habsburg monarchy - was already producing highly sought-after leather tanning products. The company soon became renowned for its products - saltpetre, tanning agents, soda, soaps, and detergents.
A few years later, in 1894, the company’s products were introduced in the USA, notably the copperas, iron oxide paints and various salts. The company received its first high-level prize, when the iron oxide paint won a gold plaque at the Chicago world fair.
The product range changed as decades passed and owners changed, too. In 1925, the product range was expanded to include the production of water-soluble oils for the leather and textile industries.
The period 1957 – 1962 was dedicated to renovating the plant and brought the then state-of-the-art production plants for the sodium tripolyphosphate and the chlor-alkali electrolysis products. This set the course for the further development of the plant, specializing for the production of the phosphorus salts.
1970: Starting to expand to the field of process chemistry: producing decorative cosmetics and perfumery in cooperation with French and subsequently Italian partners.
1985 – Production start of the powdered laundry detergents, as well as household and industrial cleaning products.
In 1996, a modern, environmentally friendly chlor-alkali electrolysis plant, using the membrane process technology, was built.
In 2002, an important acquisition was made: a new spray tower used for the production of sodium and potassium tripolyphosphates.
In 2003, we started the production of calcium phosphates in the phosphates profit centre, the products being used as a mineral additive in the preparation of various feeds for cattle, pigs, poultry and other animals.
In the same year, we started a new production plant in the general consumption profit centre, consisting of a mixing system and a filling line, producing liquid detergents and cleaning products.
In 2008, we replaced the DD 350 type electrolysers with the new BM 2.7 type in the chlor-alkali electrolysis profit centre. The state-of-the art elements in this electrolyser belong to the fourth generation and are more advanced than the previous ones in all of the important aspects, including energy efficiency, lifespan and the design solution.
In 2014, the phosphates profit centre obtained a new acquisition: a modern, automatic filling phosphate packaging machine.
In 2015, we obtained the FAMI QS certificate, which facilitates the marketing of feed grade phosphates.
The general consumption profit centre invested in a packaging machine for powdered detergents and a new line for filling the liquid cleaning products and detergents into smaller packages.
In 2016, the utility and industrial wastewater from our plant was connected to the sewage collector and wastewater treatment plant in Hrastnik.
In the same year, we obtained the environmental permit for a higher risk plant, the Seveso.
We obtained the IFS certificate for the phosphate plant and set up a granulated phosphate device.