Oberbruch Industry Park is the competency center for carbon (fiber) technology in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
Today's Oberbruch Industry Park was founded as "Rheinische Glühlampenfabrik Dr. Max Fremery & Co“.
In 1891, Max Fremery, a chemist from Cologne and Johann Urban, an engineer from Austria, chose a former paper mill as their base.
They intended to search for a filament that offered high efficiency in production and energy consumption and a longer life.
In the history of the textile industry, the so-called "Pauly Patent" is considered as the beginning of German rayon production.
Eventually the Bergische trimming and braiding industry with its "Barmer Articles" became the most important buyer of Oberbruch rayon.
During the First World War Oberbruch was the only Glanzstoff plant to continue production at a limited level despite declining demand and a lack of labour.
The only innovation was the introduction of perforated aluminium rollers enabling the production of even bigger weaves.
The strategic economic planning of the National Socialist Government prohibited investments and company expansions in borderline regions.
The group's management decided that the Oberbruch site should pioneer this modernization, since it had gained strategic importance with the textile polyester yarn PET.
Part-time work, downsizing, limited output, investment cut-back and restructuring were the consequences.
The product range included spinnerets, components and testing equipment for the man-made fiber, textile and plastics industry.
In 1983, Enka AG, a company of the Akzo Group signed a license agreement for the production of carbon fiber with Toho Rayon Co. Ltd., Tokyo.
The workforce decreased to well below 2,000 employees, the former technical equipment and installation division and the central workshops of the former Akzo Nobel site were outsourced in 1993 and re-established as Hima, today BIS Maintenance Südwest GmbH.
The former Group parent Akzo Nobel parted completely with the man-made fiber division while the site's diverse business units became autonomous enterprises.
As independent companies, they looked for new partners, initiating the change from a homogenous firm to an open industrial park.
Industriepark Oberbruch GmbH & Co. KG, (IPO), was at that time the service provider for the enterprises located there.
Administration and marketing of the entire infrastructure and expansion were the main tasks and objectives of IPO, which had its origin in the service departments of the former Akzo Nobel site.
The services to date include supplies, disposal, quality, security, environmental protection, logistics, personnel, project and real estate management.
As Akzo Nobel/Accordis' last operative business unit at the site a new owner was needed as service provider.
Oberbruch Industry Park hosts some 20 companies in the fields of processing chemistry, plastics and new materials with approximately 2,000 employees.
The worldwide first production of solid oxide fuel cells for coupled power heat generation was established at Oberbruch Industry Park.
GNT develops and produces high-tech products from edible fruits, vegetables and plants.
Alliander AG became a grid operator via separation from the energy production sector of n.v. Nuon in 2008.
PolymerOberbruch GmbH, formerly Kuag's Polykondensation, is owned by Indian Group Zoom Developers (P) Ltd., Bombay.
BKK Euregio was founded in 1896 as a health insurance fund for employees of Max Fremery & Co. and Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken.
: Diolen Polyesterfaser - Entwicklung und Möglichkeiten Robert Bauer; Das Jahrhundert der Chemiefasern, Goldmann Gelbe Taschenbücher, München, 1958 Werner Meyer-Larsen: Chemiefasern, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH, Reinbeck bei Hamburg, Januar 1972