Poudreries réunies de Belgique

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remnants of the explosives factory in Matagne-la-Grande, built in 1879

The Poudreries réunies de Belgique , abbreviation PRB , (United Powder Mills of Belgium) were Belgium's second largest arms company and produced ammunition .

Before the First World War, there were various smaller explosives factories in Belgium. At the initiative of the Société générale de Belgique (SGB), some of these factories merged and in 1919 formed the new company Poudreries réunies de Belgique .

PDR was formed through business combinations over many years . The companies incorporated include: Powder mill in Casteau (near Mons ), powder mill in Herentals , Muller et Cie. Explosives factory. in Clermont-sous-Huy ( Engis ) (founded in 1850), powder mill in Ben-Ahin ( Huy ), La Forcite company in Balen (founded 1881) or dynamite factory in Matagne.

The oldest parts of PRB date back to 1778. This year Jan-Frans Cooppal opens a powder mill in Wetteren . During the First Coalition War , the factory was partially destroyed by French troops and closed in 1796. The factory reopened in 1815 after the Battle of Waterloo . In 1880 part of the production was relocated to a new factory in Kaulille. In 1952 the company started manufacturing foam. In 1967 Cooppal merged with PRB. PRB expanded its activities to include the chemical industry.

In 1979 PRB had 73 production facilities in five branches: industrial explosives, foams, chemicals, armaments and mechanics as well as miscellaneous. The company's headquarters were in Brussels . The military production took place in Matagne, Clermont-sous-Huy, Vivegnis , Mechelen , Kaulille and Balen. The landmine production was Matagne la petite (components made of plastic and metal) Kaulille (explosives) and Balen ( Component assembly located). There was also a subsidiary with Forges de Zeebrugge .

SGB, as the largest shareholder, neglected PRB's development. After PRB ran into financial difficulties in the 1980s, SGB grouped it with other chemical companies as the new GECHEM . In 1988 SGB pumped fresh capital into GECHEM, increasing its stake from 80% to 90%. However, the merger of the various companies did not bring the hoped-for economic success. SGB ​​spun PRB out of GECHEM in 1989 and sold it to the British Astra Holding. During this time there was a continuous downsizing of jobs; 1983: 2,500 employees, 1988: 1,900 employees, 1987: 1,570 employees. Under Astra, the number of employees fell to 1,500 in 1989. Forges de Zeebrugge was sold to Thomson Brandt Armament .

After Astra got a detailed picture of PRB's economic position, it accused the PRB managers of making false statements. Astra therefore refused to invest in PRB, which led to PRB's bankruptcy in 1990 . The company was sold in parts. The factory in Matagne-la-Grande went to the defense company Mecar and the factory in Clermont-sous-Huy to the Société nationale des poudres et des explosifs . The remaining parts were also sold or dismantled . With the bankruptcy of PRB, the production of anti-personnel mines in Belgium ended years before the production ban under the Ottawa Convention .

The very shrunken GECHEM focused on foam manufacturing and was renamed Recticel in 1992 and sold to Compagnie du Bois Sauvage in 1998 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Stephen Martin: The Economics of Offsets: Defense Procurement and Coutertrade , Verlag Routledge , 2014, ISBN 9781317836650 , p. 90 [1]
  2. ^ Andre Mommen: The Belgian Economy in the Twentieth Century , Verlag Routledge , 2002, ISBN 9781134977734 , p. 47 [2]
  3. ^ PB Clermont, A glance at the past . Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  4. ↑ Springstoffenfabriek La Forcite , Onroerend Erfgoed
  5. ↑ Revue universelle des mines, de la métallurgie, de la mécanique, des travaux publics, des sciences et des arts appliqués à l'industrie , Comité scientifique de l'Association des ingénieurs sortis de l'Ecole de Liège, 1931, p. 274 [3]
  6. ↑ a b c d International Campaign to Ban Landmines : Landmine Monitor Report 1999: Toward a Mine-free World , Verlag Human Rights Watch , 1999, ISBN 9781564322319 , pp. 540-541 [4]
  7. ↑ a b Our history , Recticel