- 2007 – Ergis S.A. and Eurofilms S.A.’s General Shareholders Meetings adopted merger resolutions to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Baad Sp. z o.o. and change its name to Flexergis; a third production line for PE stretch film was started up. Acquisition of 100% of shares in German companies MKF-Folien GmbH and Schimanski GmbH.
- 2006 - submission of the issue prospectus at the Polish Securities and Exchange Commission; change in the name of the company from EUROFILMS POLSKA GRUPA ERGIS S.A. to EUROFILMS S.A.; launch of the third stretch film production line; debut of EUROFILMS S.A. at the Warsaw Stock Exchange;
- 2005 - ERGIS and EUROFILMS POLSKA GRUPA ERGIS S.A. obtaining ISO 14001: 2004 Integrated Quality Management System certificate; renewal of ERGIS’ ISO 9001:2000 certificates;
- 2004 - merger of affiliated companies aimed at simplifying the structure: Tapety Gnaszyn, Delpak and Eurofilms formed a new company under the name EUROFILMS POLSKA GRUPA ERGIS S.A.; launch of the second windowsills production line; modernization of the Berstorff calander;
- 2003 - Management buyout of Grupa Ergis through Finergis Sp. z o.o., with participation of the DBG EE Fund; installation of the second production line in Oława, first start of the line and the first production; increase in the annual production capacity to 18,000 tons of stretch film;
- 2002 - takeover of Tapety Gnaszyn S.A. by Ergis.
- 2001 - Obtaining the Quality Management System Certificate ISO 9002:1994 issued by Den Norske Veritas, followed by obtaining the ISO 9001:2000 certificate (September 2003), Changes in the Company’s share capital: Ergis S.A. acquires 76% of shares, Eurofilms Extrusion acquires 24% of shares.
- 2000 - formation of Eurofilms Polska, as a joint venture with Eurofilms Extrusion Ltd, and joining it to Grupa Ergis; installation of a line in Oława, first start of the line, the first production, the first sale, the official opening;.
1998 - restructuring of ZTS Erg and the takeover of Schupbach - Erg Sp. z o.o., Delpak Sp. z o.o., ZTS Erg-Oława SA, Cefol-Erg SA and subsequent establishing of Grupa Ergis; launch of the first windowsill production line.. - 1992 - the beginning of privatisation; in 1994 Narodowy Fundusz Inwestycyjny "Victoria" gains control over the company;
- 1950 - the company becomes state property and operates under the name Pomorskie Zakłady Tworzyw Sztucznych; after a time the name is changed to Zakłady Tworzyw Sztucznych Erg - Wąbrzeźno (ZTS Erg);
- 1922 - the establishment of a hat factory and its subsequent takeover by Pe-Pe-Ge.
More History
On March 8th, 1922, the hat production company Pomorska Fabryka Kapeluszy Towarzystwo Akcyjne was established in Wąbrzeźno. Its main shareholders were the municipality of Wąbrzeźno and Polski Bank Handlowy T.A. in Poznań. The municipality of Wąbrzeźno was granted a guarantee by the Minister of State Treasury enabling it to take out a loan of DM 20 million to help finance the construction of the company’s factory, while Polski Bank Handlowy T.A. contributed equipment worth DM 40 million. The company’s share capital amounted to DM 120 million, divided into 120,000 shares.
A four-storey building was quickly erected and hat production was commenced, a steam engine providing power for all the factory’s machinery. However, the company soon encountered financial problems and difficulties in acquiring raw materials. On top of that, late deliveries hampered sales of finished products and led to the company losing customers to its competitors.
In 1926, the factory’s shareholders agreed to sell it to Polski Przemysł Gumowy Pe Pe Ge from Grudziądz. On September 3rd, 1928, the Governor of the Pomorskie Province approved a project to set up a rubber products factory in the former building of Pomorska Fabryka Kapeluszy.
Work was commenced on converting the building. The President of the company was Samuel Halperin, while Stanisław Blichniarz was the manager of the Wąbrzeźno branch. Initially, the factory produced water-resistant coats. However, thanks to a contribution made by one of the its co?owners, a French rubber manufacturer, it was able to purchase modern machinery and substantially extend its product range to include rubber coats, materials for gas masks, synthetic leathers, rubber footwear, synthetic suede, clothing for miners, rubber tricot, and water-resistant wallpaper.
The company originally planned to employ a workforce of around 500, with an initial intake of 220 employees in July 1928. However, in the winter season of 1928/1929, the number of people employed in the factory was increased to 600. On January 18th, 1929, the installation of a petrol tank manufactured by the Gdańsk shipyard was completed. Subsequent investments included building a factory boiler for vulcanisation and laying new water pipelines. Unfortunately, the economic crisis in Poland prevented the company from developing further.
In 1931, Polski Przemysł Gumowy Pe Pe Ge S.A. was declared bankrupt, and in 1936 the official receiver began to sell off its machinery and equipment by compulsory auction. From 1932 to 1939, the company did not conduct any business activities and the factory building stood empty.
Following the German army’s invasion of Wąbrzeźno in September 1939, the German authorities used the building as a prison for detaining and torturing political prisoners from Wąbrzeźno and the surrounding area. In the later years of the German occupation, it was used to produce parts for aircraft and submarines. Watches were also produced, which was continued until January 1945.
When the town was liberated, the factory was taken over by the tobacco company Polski Monopol Tytoniowy, which used it for fermenting tobacco. This continued until March 1950. A month later, refurbishment work was commenced for the purpose of creating a new company. Pomorskie Zakłady Tworzyw Sztucznych, which specialised in the processing of polyvinyl chloride and the production of soft PVC film for use in the construction and office and stationery industries, was officially opened on October 10th, 1950.
In 1975, the company changed its name to ZTS ERG Wąbrzeźno and started up production lines for vinyl wallpaper. Ten years later, it expanded its product range to include paper wallpapers. In 1994-1995, the company signed up to the General Privatisation Programme and acquired a new main shareholder: the Victoria Fifth National Investment Fund. Four years later, in April 1998, it changed its name to ERGIS S.A.
