Polish Company Sanok for the Rubber Industry The was established in 1932 The enterprise was built with capital from French and Swiss shareholders. Construction was undertaken by Bronisław Kędzierski and Co. Building and Reinforced Concrete Works, with the factory's dedication occurring on 20 March 1932. The company was named Polish Company Sanok for the Rubber Industry. In 1932, the factory's directors were Eng. Piotr Lipczyk and Dr. Oskar Schmidt, with Schmidt later serving alone. In 1936, a second plant, , was established under Karol Schmidt, with Oskar Schmidt as general director. Both factories operated under shared management and interests. The Sanok factory was included in the
Central Industrial Region (COP), alongside a machine tool factory established by the Schmidts in Sanok, receiving 15 years of industrial and tax benefits from the Ministries of Treasury, Military Affairs, and Industry. The factory produced gas masks, sponge threads for the aviation and shipbuilding industries, and balloons. In 1934, French scientist
Auguste Piccard visited Sanok, intending to use factory materials for a new
high-altitude balloon. Later, based on an invention by Dr. Oskar Schmidt and technical director Władysław Kubica, the factory rubberized the envelope of the high-altitude balloon
Gwiazda Polski in 1938. The rubberizing process followed a proprietary recipe developed at the factory. In 1938, the company employed 500 workers, 14 technical staff, and 40 office employees, with a factory area of approximately 15,000 m² and buildings covering 8,000 m². In 1939, the share capital was increased to 2.5 million PLN. The company's headquarters were at 9
Władysław Reymont Street in Sanok, as was the accumulator factory. The company had a representative office in Warsaw at 18 in the 1930s, and later at in 1939. Representatives also operated in
Kraków,
Lviv,
Poznań,
Bydgoszcz, and
Vilnius. In the summer of 1938, it participated in the
Eastern Trade Fair in Lviv. In 1938, the factory received a gold medal at the Warsaw Hospital Exhibition for its porous rubber Laticel products (window and door seals, mattresses, and pillows). Following the outbreak of
World War II and the
German occupation, the factory ceased operations. The Germans transported equipment and machinery to the
Semperit plant in Kraków, while the Sanok Accumulator Factory was subordinated to Accumulatorenfabrik, though production was not continued, and only a repair shop operated. During the war, Edward Zajic, originally from
Karviná, was appointed director of the rubber factory, transferred from
Limanowa. He was also the head of the Sanok branch of the and the
Union of Retaliation in the underground, later dying in
Auschwitz concentration camp. Toward the war's end, the factory's buildings and infrastructure were destroyed due to military actions. The company's value in 1939 was estimated at 700,000 USD. including 150 in laboratories, and approximately 2,000 by 1939. In the 1930s, Władysław Kubica served as director. Before 1939, employees included (vulcanizer), Władysław Gut, , (also a member of the factory's Balloon Club, 1938–1939), and (clerk from 1939). In the late 1930s, the press noted exemplary employer-employee relations, with no strikes or trade unions.
Production Before 1939, the factory relied on
natural gas as an energy source. It produced gas mask components, rubber plates, transmission belts, V-belts for alternators, bicycle tires and tubes (noted for durability, e.g., "cord" and "rekord" models), rubber rims for carts, fire hoses, patented doors, rubber horseshoes, bath sponges, rubber heels, rubberized leather for soles, The factory also produced tents. Schmidt acquired an English license for Laticel, a porous rubber used for vehicle seat fillings. Recycling was widely used, with reclaimed rubber from production waste reused for tires, brakes, and railway components. However, other
Polish People's Republic authorities transferred the rubber factory's infrastructure to the
Rzeszów Grain Plants, and later, leased buildings served as fertilizer warehouses. Eventually, state authorities planned to relocate the preserved infrastructure to
Bydgoszcz, but thanks to the intervention of Sanok's then-
starosta , the factory received financial support. Oskar Schmidt attempted to reclaim the
nationalized company by the
Polish Committee of National Liberation, intending to produce essential post-war goods like heels and soles from rubber waste. Ultimately, Decree No. 58 of the Minister of Light Industry, , on 14 December 1950, transferred the Sanok Stomil Rubber Industry Plant to state ownership. Reconstruction was decided in 1954 and executed from 1956 to 1960, costing 100 million PLN. In 1960, it produced 370 products with 185 employees. The factory celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1970. In 1970, the factory was renamed Stomil Rubber Industry Plant. In 1976, it began producing V-belts under a license from the American company Gates. In 1978, the factory was expanded at a cost of 4 billion PLN, focusing on products for the domestic automotive industry. It employed 5,000 workers and occupied 58 hectares in the
Olchowce district on both banks of the
San river. In the 1970s, Stomil supplied about 70% of its rubber products to the
Polmo Bielsko-Biała, including seals for the
Fiat 126. In early 1975, it delivered 400,000 hockey pucks. In 1978, a medal commemorating the factory's 1973–1978 expansion was issued, designed by . On 1 August 1978, Polish Prime Minister
Piotr Jaroszewicz visited, followed by First Secretary
Edward Gierek on 9 August 1979. The day after
martial law was declared on 13 December 1981, the factory's workforce went on strike, leading to internments, arrests, and dismissals, similar to events at
Autosan. a resort in
Myczkowce, a health clinic with 13 specialist offices at Przemyska Street opened in 1978, and investments in municipal projects like waterworks and
sewage treatment. The factory sponsored the sports club. In 1982, it celebrated its 50th anniversary, marked by a commemorative medal. By 1993, the company's assets included: Adam Szpet, (1967–1977), (1977–1981), (1981–1990), and Andrzej Hołubowski (1990). In the 1970s and 1980s, factory committee secretaries of the
Polish United Workers' Party included Jan Buśko Eng. , , , (1974–1981), (deputy director from 1979), and .
Awards and recognitions • Kowalski Award from '''' readers (1974) • "Jubilee Address" (1984) • Gold Honorary Badge of the Polish-Soviet Friendship Society (1986) • Badge "For Merits to Krosno Voivodeship" (1987) • Badge Meritorious for Sanok (1987) In September 1993, Enterprise Investors acquired 80% of Stomil Sanok's shares from the State Treasury for 8.7 million PLN ($4.5 million). Employees received 15% at a lower price, and management took 5%. Łęcki reduced employment from 3,700 to 2,500, and to 1,400 by 2003, with
Michał Boni, an Enterprise Investors consultant, aiding in workforce management. On 14 September 1995, the company received
ISO 9001 certification. Since 28 January 1997, it has been listed on the
Warsaw Stock Exchange. In 2002, it received the "Pantheon of Polish Ecology" award from the Minister of Environment and the Polish Center for Testing and Certification. In July 2003, the management group, holding 10% of shares, purchased additional shares from Enterprise Investors via a management buyout, supported by pension and investment funds.
Sales The automotive segment, including body seals and anti-vibration systems, accounts for 45% of revenue, supported by foreign specialists. In 2013, sales reached 720.1 million PLN, with 471.3 million PLN from exports and a net profit of 68.2 million PLN.
Domestic sales Domestic sales of V-belts and construction seals are managed by , fully owned by Stomil Sanok SA, through six warehouses. In 2010, the "Stomil Agro" segment for agricultural machinery was established, offering Deutz-Fahr tractors and combines. In 2013, domestic sales via Stomil Sanok Dystrybucja contributed 7.3% to the Group's sales, with own products comprising less than half.
Foreign sales Sales of proprietary products – mainly V-belts and seals – on Eastern markets such as Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are conducted through subsidiary companies. The share of each individual company does not exceed 10% of the total sales value of the Stomil Sanok Group: • PHU Stomil East Sp. z o.o. – sales of Stomil Sanok products (V-belts and seals) on CIS markets; employs 6 people. • Stomil Sanok Rus Sp. z o.o. in Moscow – sales of Stomil Sanok products (V-belts and seals) on CIS markets (100% ownership); director: Sergiusz Skawałowski; employs 12 people. • Stomil Sanok Ukraina Sp. z o.o. in Rivne – sales of Stomil Sanok products (V-belts and seals) on CIS markets (100% ownership); director: Ignacy Szyszko; employs 22 people. • Stomil Sanok Wiatka S.A. in Kirov – sales of Stomil Sanok products on the Russian market (81.1% of voting rights); director: Oleg Chobay; employed 8 people (as of 2012). • Z.P.P.U. P. Stomil Sanok BR in Brest, Belarus – sales of Stomil Sanok products on the Russian and Belarusian markets (100% of voting rights); director: Zbigniew Kotarba; employs 73 people. • Rubber & Plastic Systems S.A.S. in Villers-la-Montagne – production and sales of body sealing systems (100% of voting rights); director: Rafał Grzybowski; employs 41 people. • Sanok Qingdao Auto Parts in Qingdao – marketing activities; director: Tomasz Bochnak; employs 1 person. • Meteor China-Beteiligungs GmbH in Bockenem – holding company; directors: Marcin Saramak and Dieter Lemke; holds 20% of shares in Sanok Qingdao Auto Parts.
Management remuneration For the year 2012, the total remuneration of the company's management amounted to 3,748,124.00 PLN, including fixed salaries (2,040,000 PLN), and variable remuneration (1,708,124 PLN). Breakdown by individual Management Board members: – 1,307,820 shares (2013 and first half of 2014); • Mariusz Młodecki, Director for Logistics and Purchasing – 94,800 shares The Sanok Rubber Group's sales in 2015 amounted to 903.52 million PLN, an 18% increase compared to the previous year (768.61 million PLN in 2014). This growth in sales revenue was primarily achieved thanks to the German-based subsidiary Draftex Automotive GmbH, which operates in the automotive sector. In 2015, sales of the Group's products for the automotive industry made up 54% of its total sales value. Sales of tooling for rubber and plastics production, as well as machine repair services provided by Stomet Sp. z o.o. to customers outside the Group, generated 129.1 million PLN in revenue in 2015. The market environment affects the company's organizational structure, which now consists of the construction, industrial, and automotive business divisions (automotive division management includes Sanok, RPS S.A.S. in France, Draftex, QMRP China, and AQAP China). Marek Łęcki served as president of the management board from 1991 to 2017.
Colmant Cuvelier In February 2015, the Sanok company acquired the assets of Colmant Cuvelier through its French subsidiary, RPS. Colmant Cuvelier, based in
Lille, is a manufacturer of power transmission components with a tradition spanning several decades, operating branches in
Wevelgem and
Turin. On 15 January 2015, Stomil Sanok SA took possession of the assets of Colmant Cuvelier. Colmant Cuvelier is a French manufacturer of V-belts with a 120-year tradition (founded in 1895), specializing in power transmission supplies mainly for the local French industrial market, as well as markets in North Africa and Western European countries. The company's turnover was 7.6 million euros in 2013 and 4.5 million euros in the first eight months of 2014. At the end of 2014, the Lille plant employed 47 people. == Events ==