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1900 - 1945
Dr Ludwig Schreiner, the first Managing Director, purchased the patent for the "Adler finish" for producing a silky sheen on cotton: this gave the company its trademark, the eagle (Adler). In 1902, the Thiele stretch-spinning process (cellulose, copper-ammonia spinning process) was patented in Bemberg's name, and in 1917 the company began production of copper rayon in Rittershausen.
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In the 1920s, Bemberg silk became a world famous synonym for artificial silk- this was of course the era of silk stockings - and the company expanded to several continents with subsidiaries in France, Italy, England, Japan and the USA. In 1925, the majority of shares were acquired by the Vereinigten Glanzstoff Factories. |
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From 1927 there was a period of improvement and diversification. The factory in Rittershausen was closed and the facilities in the Oehde were extended, and this era marked the beginning of the production of cellulose film from the basic materials for copper rayon.
In the 1940s trials were carried out with Dureta machines - the first continuously running spinning machine - and the factory was engaged in the production of parachute silk. In 1944, the works employed 4,400 people who produced 35 - 40 tons of Bemberg silk every day. In the meantime the cellar of the textile works was used for the assembly of rifles. But the company was about to undergo a major upheaval.
On 13th March 1945, 70% of the production facilities were destroyed during a bombing raid. The foreign subsidiaries were also lost, but a year later the company was re-founded with about 300 employees.
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