October 9, 2000, Rutland Herald Business Monday
After more than a century, a $2 billion company
By Bruce Edwards, Herald Staff

Pluess-Staufer AG, the parent company of OMYA Inc., was founded in 1884 in Oftringen, Switzerland, by Gottfried Pluess and his wife, Emma Staufer.

>From its small beginnings as a maker of ready-made window putty, the company is now considered the world's largest producer of calcium carbonate -- the filler material used in the manufacture of paints, paper and plastics.

In 1890, the company opened its first quarry in the Champagne region of France. Today, the calcium carbonate plant in Omey, France remains the company's largest production facility.

In 1976, Pluess-Staufer purchased the struggling Vermont Marble Co. from the Proctor family for a reported $10 million. Over the years OMYA has expanded its Florence, Vt., plant and has said it will invest well over $100 million in the coming years if it receives necessary permits to open and maintain quarries. The company employs 200 workers in Vermont.

The company also operates plants in Alabama, California and Canada. It's newest North American plant opened recently in Lake Superior, Ariz.

OMYA has expanded its calcium carbonate (marble, limestone, chalk) operations beyond Europe and North America to Australia, Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. The company now operates 140 plants in more than 30 countries.

In addition, the company's business interests have expanded to include chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

One of the most significant events in the company's history was its partnership with the German chemical company, Hoechst AG. Since 1949, Pluess-Staufer has had the exclusive distribution rights to Hoechst products in Switzerland. In later years, the company and Hoechst teamed up to form the Swiss pharmaceutical company, Hoechst Pharmie. On its own, Pluess-Staufer acquired Ozalid AG, a large Swiss manufacturer of photo copying supplies.

More recently, Pluess-Staufer has embarked on yet another new venture -- genetically modified foods. However, the company suffered a setback last year when the Swiss government rejected the company's application to plant a test crop of genetically modified corn.

In 1997, Pluess-Staufer reported combined sales of 2.5 billion Swiss francs, or $1.7 billion, an increase of nearly 18 percent from the previous year. The company employs 7,200 people worldwide.

Since 1940, Pluess-Staufer has been controlled by Max H. Schachenmann, who has guided the company through the turbulent war years and beyond. In 1946, Schachenmann came to the U.S. and opened the company's first sales office in New York City. Though it is hard to pin down his exact worth, Schachenmann is considered one of the world's wealthiest individuals. In 1989, Fortune magazine put his worth at $1 billion. More recently, The Times of London pegged his wealth at a more conservative $600 million.

Today, Schachenmann, now in his mid-80's, continues to over-see the business from his home in London. His sons, Max-Andre and Eric, are also involved in the company.

But it is the elder Schachenmann who has molded the company into the silent giant it is today. Over the years, the Swiss multinational has developed a reputation for jealously guarding its privacy -- a philosophy that has been handed down by Schachenmann.

One longtime employee said that credo is based on something Schachenmann told him several years ago: "If you want to live happy, live hidden."