Omya's roots date back to 1884 when the company was founded by Gottfried Plüss-Staufer in Oftringen, Switzerland. In the beginning, the company was involved in the production of glaziers putty by combining fine chalk with linseed oil.
In 1891, Plüss-Staufer acquired a chalk quarry in France and decided to build a plant in Oftringen to produce chalk powder. After completion of the Oftringen plant in 1894, the business expanded quickly. Putty sales increased significantly, as did the sales of chalk powder.
These successes led Plüss-Staufer to acquire a second chalk quarry at Omey, France in 1894. A chalk plant was built at the port of Omey in 1900.
At the turn of the 20th century, Plüss-Staufer created the Omya brand name. High-quality products and excellent customer relationships quickly established Omya as a highly regarded brand beyond the borders of Switzerland.
Major steps:
1884 Plüss-Staufer founded in Oftringen, Switzerland
1891 Chalk quarry in Châlons-sur-Marne, France
1894 Plant in Oftringen, Switzerland
1895 Quarry in Omey, France
1900 Plant in Omey, France
1912 Plant in Strasbourg (then part of Germany)
1925 SA du Blanc Omya in Paris, France
1932 Omya GmbH in Cologne, Germany
1946 Pluess-Staufer Co. in the USA
1949 General representation for Hoechst in Switzerland
1952 Surface-treated chalk for the PVC plastics industry
1965 Calcium carbonate pigment for the paper industry
1968 Calcium carbonate slurry for the paper industry
1976 Quarry and plants in the USA
1981 Quarry and plants in Australia
1988 Quarry and plants in the Asia-Pacific region
1993 Quarry and plant in Turkey
1995 Quarry and plants in Latin America
1997 Precipitated calcium carbonate plant in Austria
2000 Plüss-Staufer renamed Omya
2003 PCC plant in Russia
2004 Quarry and plants in China, Russia and the Middle East
2006 Plant in Brazil
2007 Quarries and plants in India, Vietnam and Romania. Acquisitions of Huber precipitated calcium carbonate plants
2008 Plants in Jordan, Turkey and dry-PCC plant in Austria
2009 New PCC plant in Três Lagoas, Brazil
2010 Start of acquisitions of Chemical Distributors in Asia, Europe and the USA
2012 First on-site GCC plants in China
2013 First pilot plant for remineralization of desalinated water
2014 New PCC plant and Joint Venture agreement with a chemical distributor in Russia
2014 First on-site PCC plant in India
2014 Further on-site GCC plants in Australia, China, India, and in the USA
