Omya’s roots date back to 1884 when the company was founded by Gottfried Plüss-Staufer in Oftringen, Switzerland. In the beginning, the company was involved in the production of glaziers putty by combining fine chalk with linseed oil. In 1891, Plüss-Staufer acquired a chalk quarry in France and decided to build a plant in Oftringen to produce chalk powder. After completion of the Oftringen plant in 1894, the business expanded quickly. Putty sales increased significantly, as did the sales of chalk powder. These successes led Plüss-Staufer to acquire a second chalk quarry at Omey, France in 1894. A chalk plant was built at the port of Omey in 1900. At the turn of the 20th century, Plüss-Staufer created the Omya brand name. High-quality products and excellent customer relationships quickly established Omya as a highly regarded brand beyond the borders of Switzerland. Major steps: 1884 Plüss-Staufer founded in Oftringen, Switzerland 1891 Chalk quarry in Châlons-sur-Marne, France 1894 Plant in Oftringen, Switzerland 1895 Quarry in Omey, France 1900 Plant in Omey, France 1912 Plant in Strasbourg (then part of Germany) 1925 SA du Blanc Omya in Paris, France 1932 Omya GmbH in Cologne, Germany 1946 Pluess-Staufer Co. in the USA 1949 General representation for Hoechst in Switzerland 1952 Surface-treated chalk for the PVC plastics industry 1965 Calcium carbonate pigment for the paper industry 1968 Calcium carbonate slurry for the paper industry 1976 Quarry and plants in the USA 1981 Quarry and plants in Australia 1988 Quarry and plants in the Asia-Pacific region 1993 Quarry and plant in Turkey 1995 Quarry and plants in Latin America 1997 Precipitated calcium carbonate plant in Austria 2000 Plüss-Staufer renamed Omya 2003 PCC plant in Russia 2004 Quarry and plants in China, Russia and the Middle East 2006 Plant in Brazil 2007 Quarries and plants in India, Vietnam and Romania. Acquisitions of Huber precipitated calcium carbonate plants 2008 Plants in Jordan, Turkey and dry-PCC plant in Austria 2009 New PCC plant in Três Lagoas, Brazil 2010 Start of acquisitions of Chemical Distributors in Asia, Europe and the USA 2012 First on-site GCC plants in China 2013 First pilot plant for remineralization of desalinated water 2014 New PCC plant and Joint Venture agreement with a chemical distributor in Russia 2014 First on-site PCC plant in India 2014 Further on-site GCC plants in Australia, China, India, and in the USA