History Polymer Synthese Werk

Foundation of the company Polymer Synthese Werk Rudolf Klaus &Co. KG by Rudolf Klaus in Mülheim/Ruhr. A technical production plant with completely new manufacturing processes had to be planned and built to process the raw material "polyethylene" that was available at the time. With the construction of the plant, new paths had to be explored. Since work was being done in a still unknown production area, setbacks were inevitable. But thanks to Rudolf Klaus' many years of industrial experience as an employee in large chemical plants, the hard work on the construction led to success. Not only did industrial processes for the production of the raw materials have to be developed, but also the machines for the film production. Consequently, new machines were designed and built in collaboration with the chemical, mechanical and electrical industries.

In 1951 the first film processing systems were delivered. Founding of the Polymer Synthese Werk GmbH. Production started with four employees. The daily production was initially 100 kg or 10,000 running meters. The economic upswing in the years after the currency reform gave the new plastic access to new packaging areas in the chemical industry due to its outstanding, hitherto unknown excellent properties. This marked the start of the company's ascent and the progressive expansion of production.

In 1956, a former leather factory with a floor space of 2,000 square meters was added in the immediate vicinity of the company in Mülheim/Ruhr Hansastrasse. As a result, production could be increased significantly. The number of employees increased to 60, the daily production to 1,000 kg. With the increasing interest in the new film, the market showed an ever-increasing demand. The raw material manufacturers also brought better and better qualities, new raw material types and larger quantities onto the market.

At the end of the 1950s it was clear that the production facilities in Mülheim/Ruhr were not sufficient. In 1960, a plot of land in Rheinberg/Orsoy with an area of 20,000 square meters was acquired. The good location directly on the Rhine with good transport connections were decisive. The construction work lasted almost 2 years. The resettlement took place on March 1, 1962. The production program was constantly expanded. In addition to LDPE, HDPE and PP, polysterol and polyamide have now also been processed. The number of employees increased to 180, the daily production to 5,000 kg.

The Polymer-Synthese-Werk GmbH was founded in 1970 due to the constantly growing size of the company. Thanks to the rapidly increasing demand and the purchase of the latest film extruders, daily production could again be significantly increased.

On March 4, 1977, the entire factory site burned down with all production machines down to the foundations. At the time of the fire there was no production, so no personal injuries were reported. Immediately after the clean-up work, immediate reconstruction began.

After the death of company founder Rudolf Klaus in 1985, his sons Axel-Uwe and Holger Klaus took over the management. The polysterol and polyamide processing was discontinued. On the other hand, LDPE production was further expanded thanks to new extrusion lines.

Commissioning of a new production line for the trash compactor boxes. A combination of polyethylene and corrugated cardboard. This was specially designed for the aviation industry.

On May 8th, 2020, after more than 35 years as managing director of our company, Dipl.Ing. Axel Uwe Klaus. His successor was Christiane Klaus. The company remains family-owned in the third generation.

This year we were able to celebrate our 70th company anniversary.