Rohrwerk Maxhütte

1881-1888 Huldschinsky Tube Works

Originally named Röhrenwerk in German, was a Sosnowiec-based steel plant specialised in pipe production. The company S.Huldschinsky und Söhne/ S.Hulczyński i Synowie (S.Hulczyński and sons) from Gliwice (the spelling of the name has been adapted to Polish) constructed the plant between 1881 and 1888. The smelter was established on land purchased from the owners of the Pogoń and Sielec estates. Initially, the factory was a subsidiary of the Gliwice plant and operated under the name S.Hulczyński i Synowie/ S.Huldschinsky i Synowie. The plant comprised multiple production halls, a locksmith, machine shop, a forge, warehouses, offices, stables, and a carriage house. The position of director was initially held by Eng. Reiss, and from 1894 by Engr. Oskar Preyss.

1897 Towarzystwo Akcyjne Sosnowieckich Fabryk Rur i Żelaza

In 1897, the factory transformed into a joint stock company of Sosnowiec Pipe and Iron Factories named the “Towarzystwo Akcyjne Sosnowieckich Fabryk Rur i Żelaza” with a share capital of 3 million rubles. The share capital was raised to 6 million in 1900, and Huldczynski was appointed as the chairman of the board. The plant expanded, establishing marten furnaces, gas and boiler tube furnaces, a fastener production department, a foundry, a galvanising plant, a rolling mill for sheet metal and seamless pipes, and a pipe-drawing plant. At the start of the 20th century, the factory had a workforce of almost 2,000 employees.

1914-1918 The First World War

Following the outbreak of World War I, the German military shut down and devastated the factory. They looted cables, pipes and even brass door handles, which they treated as scrap metal. By the end of 1915, only 318 workers were employed here, mostly on maintenance work.

1919-1938 The interwar period

The Sosnowiec pipe plant was founded after the war by Engr. Szymon Rudowski. Initially, it produced plough parts and ploughs for agriculture. It wasn't until 1920 that the plant put blast furnaces, martens and a rolling mill into operation. The plant was gradually renovated and modernised. The biggest investment was the "Wellman" English-style seamless pipe rolling mill, which was installed in 1928.

1939-1945 The Second World War

During the German occupation the company was taken over by the escrow company Haupttreuhandstelle „Ost”', and was rearranged for war production. It employed 4300 workers including prisoners of war and labour camp workers.

1948 Towarzystwo Sosnowieckich Fabryk Rur i Żelaza Spółka Akcyjna Huta Sosnowiec

Which can be translated as Sosnowiec Tube and Iron Works Joint Stock Company Sosnowiec steelworks. The company, like many others, was nationalised after the war. The production focused on hot-rolled and steel tubes for precision applications, as well as metallurgical rollers.

1961 Seamless pipe drawing shop at the Huta im. Mariana Buczka

Operation of the plant continued under the new name “Huta im. Mariana Buczka” (Marian Buczek Steelworks.) The 1960s, 1970s and 1980s marked the peak of the plant's activity, employing approximately 4,000 workers and producing 60,000 tonnes of steel pipes annually.

1995 State-owned company Huta Buczek S.A.

Sudden economic changes in the 1990s also affected the company (Buczek’s Steelworks). There has been a transition from a state-owned enterprise to a joint stock company, resulting in the creation of new business entities utilising the company's assets.

2000 Zakład Produkcji Rur Sp. z o.o. separated from Technologie Buczek SA

In 1999 the Buczek-HB-Zakład Produkcji Rur Sp. z o.o is established and starts operating in the 2000s. It produces seamless and welded steel pipes.

2007 Capital group Max Aicher

The German company Rohrwerk Maxhütte GmbH, based in Sulzbach-Rosenberg, has purchased shares resulting in its inclusion into the Max Aicher group.

2015 Rohrwerk Maxhütte Polska Sp. z o.o.

The company name was changed to Rohrwerk Maxhütte Polska Sp. z o.o.

Timeline