 A "thread counter", folding magnifying glass with the logo of the Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken | |
| Company type | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Industry | Artificial finer |
| Predecessor | J. P. Bemberg  |
| Founded | 19 September 1899 |
| Founders | Max Fremery and Johann Urban |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Successor | Akzo |
| Headquarters | Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, |
Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken (VGF, United Rayon Factories[a]) was a German manufacturer of artificial fiber founded in 1899 that became one of the leading European producers of rayon.
During the first thirty years VGF cooperated closely with the British manufacturer Courtaulds and other companies to share technology and maintain prices by avoiding competition. It merged with the Dutch firm Enka in 1929 under the holding company Algemene Kunstzijde Unie (AKU), but the two retained their legal identities. AKU made significant investments in rayon production in the United States. The company suffered government interference in Nazi Germany (1933–45) and lost competitive strength during World War II, but partly recovered after the war with American assistance.
In 1969 AKU merged with the Dutch manufacturer KZO to form AKZO, now part of AkzoNobel. Successor companies formed during various divestitures, mergers and acquisitions continue to be active in various related industries.
- ^ Kaufman 2014, p. 165.
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