Poudreries Réunies de Belgique
| Industry | Mines, Chemicals, Explosives |
|---|---|
| Fate | Bankrupt |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Belgium |
Poudreries Réunies de Belgique SA (or PRB) was one of Belgium's oldest and largest manufacturers of munitions, once the second-largest Belgium armaments manufacturer.[1] The company indirectly started in 1778 in Wetteren as a gunpowder factory. By its 200th anniversary in 1979 it had 73 factories throughout the world, with the headquarters in Brussels.
PRB finally became bankrupt in 1993 after being demilitarised in 1990 with parts sold to the Luchaire Defense SA, part of Giat Industries (now known as AFAIR Société Nouvelle PRB SA)
History
The history of PRB revolves around its production sites in Belgium. Production was located in 6 sites, Matagne, Clermont, Vivegnis (Wallonia), Mechelen, Kaulille and Balen, with mine related production at Matagne (components), Kaulille (explosives) and Balen (filling).
- 1778, Jan-Frans Cooppal established a gunpowder factory at Wetteren.
- 1796, Wetteren factory closed by French.
- 1815, Wetteren factory restarted after Battle of Waterloo.
- 1850, Clermont site founded by Hilgers and Cie Company
- 1872, Clermont site owned by Muller Company
- 1880, Explosion at Wetteren
- 1881, Balen site started by La Forcite N.V.
- 1881-83, new plant to be built at Kaulille.
- 1896, Poudrerie Réunies de Casteau formed
- 1898, Ether production started at Wetteren
- 1919, Poudrerie Réunies de Casteau change name to Poudreries Réunies de Belgique
- 1919, Clermont site bought by Poudreries Réunies de Belgique
- 1920, Balen site bought by Poudreries Réunies de Belgique
- 1952, polyurethane foam produced at Wetteren
- 1966, Joint venture between Cooppal and PRB called Eurofoam
- 1969, Poudreries Réunies de Belgique renamed to PRB
- 1985, Gechem formed by majority shareholder of PRB - SGB
- 1988, Gechem Group decided to sell PRB
- 1989, PRB sold to Astra Holdings
- 1989, PRB put into bankruptcy by Astra
- 1990, Clermont renamed to PB-Clermont and sold to SNPE Group
- 1992, Astra Holdings goes into bankruptcy
- 1993, PRB bankruptcy complete.
Wetteren and Kaulille
In 1778 Jan-Frans Cooppal established a gunpowder factory at Wetteren (Belgium) called Koninklijke Buskruitfabriek Cooppal. This was closed by the French on July 31, 1796 but after the Battle of Waterloo production was restarted in 1815[2]
Following a catastrophic explosion in 1880 a new plant was decided to be built at Kaulille (Belgium). In 1881 the company changed its name to NV Cooppal en Co.
On 19 June 1896 at Casteau (Belgium), the Poudrerie Réunies de Casteau was established, for the production of gunpowder and explosives.[3]
Ether production is started in 1898 at Cooppal in Wetteren and in 1919 the Poudrerie Réunies de Casteau change their name to Poudreries Réunies de Belgique (PRB).
Between the two world wars the sites started production of synthetic and natural resins as used in paint and varnish. In 1952 the Wetteren site, under license from Bayer produces polyurethane foam (PU), and so reducing reliance on the production of gunpowder and ether.
In 1966 PRB and Cooppal create a 50:50 joint venture Eurofoam, focusing on polyurethane and throughout the 1970s PRB develops its chemical industry interests.
Recticel, a small Dutch company in the PU business and part of the PRB group takes over all the polyurethane related activities of PRB.
In 1985, Société Générale de Belgique (SGB), then the majority shareholder of PRB, grouped its activities in the chemical sector in a new company, Gechem of which Recticel is one of them but by 1992 Recticel remained the only activity of the Gechem group.
(Recticel was finally acquired by a holding company, with Cie du Bois Sauvage from Société Générale de Belgique in 1998).
In 1985-1986 Société Générale de Belgique (SGB) pooled the activities of PRB into a new company, GECHEM Group and in 1988 SGB injected new capital, increasing its ownership from 80% to 90% in the group.
In 1988 GECHEM Group decided to sell PRB and in 1989 sold it to Astra Holdings with the Forges de Zeebrugge subsidiary being sold to Thomson Brandt (now Thales Group).
Clermont
The Clermont site was initially started by Hilgers and Cie Company in 1850, then Muller Company in 1872, before Poudreries Réunies de Belgique acquired the site in 1919 (known as PRB from 1969). The site was changed to PB-Clermont, part of the SNPE Group in 1990[4] now part of Eurenco (European Energetics Corporation).
Balen
In 1881 La Forcite N.V. was established near Balen and this was later acquired in 1920 by PRB.[5] The site was used for the production of dynamite but after the second world war, other products, mainly agricultural, were produced. The site is now run by Ajinomoto OmniChem.
Bankruptcy
Astra discovered problems with PRB finances and argued with SGB (Société Générale de Belgique). Astra refused to invest more capital in PRB and the company declared PRB bankrupt in 1989. The different branches were put into liquidation and the bankruptcy was completed on 27 December 1993 (by which time in February 1992 Astra Holdings had itself gone into receivership).
The Matagne site was sold in 1990 to Mecar SA (then part of Allied Research Corporation USA, now part of the Chemring Group PLC) and was demilitarized immediately in 1990 with the explosive materials being recovered by SNPE. The site was returned to civilian use.
The Clermont site was sold to SNPE. The Kaulille site was sold to Kaulindus and demilitarized. The Balen site was demilitarized and is now part of OmniChem.
Involvement in Project Babylon
In December 1989 the British Secret Intelligence Service obtained evidence that PRB had supplied propellant charges for the Iraqi Project Babylon supergun. This was shipped using falsified Jordanian end-user licenses.
Products
Mines
- PRB BAC H28, anti-personal blast mine (precursor to NR 409),
- NR 409 also known as PRB M409, blast mine
- NR 413, fragmentation mine triggered by trip wires
- NR 442, bounding fragmentation antipersonnel mine
- PRB M35 mine, anti-personnel blast mine
- PRB 408 and PRB M3409 variant, anti-tank mine
- PRB M3 mine and PRB M3A1 (and PRB M1 and PRB M2), minimal metal anti-tank blast mine
- PRB-111 mine, minimum metal anti-tank blast mine (same fuze as PRB M35)
- PRB IV,
- NR 141 and NR 210, antitank blast mines
- PRB M966 mine, bounding fragmentation mine (copy of United States M2 mine).
Artillery and rockets
- NR 269 155mm artillery projectile
- PRB 415, dual purpose anti-tank and anti-personnel 3.5 inch rocket
Grenades
- PRB 7, hand grenade (same as PRB 8 but without fragmentation sleeve)
- PRB 8, hand grenade with fragmentation sleeve
- PRB 404, anti-personnel rifle-grenade (fired from PRB 424 disposable mortar)
- PRB 405, smoke grenade
- PRB 422, high blast effect grenade launched from PRB 425 hand mortar
- PRB 434, anti-personnel rifle-grenade (fired from standard 22mm NATO rifle adapters)
Mortars
- Fly-K mortar
- PRB NR161, 60 mm calibre WP smoke bomb
- PRB NR162, 60 mm calibre parachute illuminating mortar bomb
- PRB NR163, 81 mm calibre WP smoke bomb
- PRB NR164, 81 mm calibre parachute illuminating mortar bomb
- PRB NR414, 81 mm calibre high explosive mortar bomb
- PRB 424, 52 mm single shot disposable mortar
- PRB 425, hand mortar
- PRB NR431, 60 mm calibre high explosive mortar bomb
- PRB NR475 A1, 81 mm calibre medium mortar
- PRB NR493, 60 mm calibre smooth-bore muzzle-loading mortar
See also
References
- ↑ The economics of offsets: defence procurement and countertrade, Stephen Martin
- ↑ http://www.molenechos.org/molen.php?AdvSearch=2065
- ↑ http://www.recticel.be/Content/Corporate_Profile/History.cfm
- ↑ http://www.eurenco.com/en/publications/docs/pbclermont_glance.pdf
- ↑ http://inventaris.vioe.be/dibe/relict/52220