A turbulent history
Forbo Eurocol in Erfurt has a similar history to Forbo Eurocol in Wormerveer, although the German part of the story was significantly impacted by the Second World War. The company began the production of all kinds of adhesives in 1920, and was immediately successful. The factory invested heavily in buildings and machinery. During the early days, the focus was primarily on adhesives for the lucrative shoe industry, which had its heyday during WW II. After the Russian troops reached Germany by the end of the war, the owner left to found a new company in Pirmasens, on the French-German border. In 1949, the Erfurt factory came under Russian management and was nationalised under the name: VEB Schuhchemie.
From shoes to new construction
In this post-war era, all goods were scarce, so the factory manufactured all kinds of products in addition to shoe adhesive, such as floor wax. The factory name was changed to ‘Chemisol’, where a lot of shoe adhesives are still manufactured today. The quality was so good that Chemisol became the preferred supplier for the ‘Salamander’ shoe brand, which sold its products in both East and West Germany. In order to guarantee the future of the factory, VEB Schuhchemie continued to expand its product assortment.