Fine chalk whiting and pure linseed oil were the ingredients that Gottfried Pluess combined when he started to manufacture glazier's putty in Oftringen, on the 4th August, 1884. He soon recognised that the quality of the chalk was critical and, as his requirements could not be met locally, he acquired his own sources. In 1900 he started production from a new purpose built whiting factory at Omey, France. (Incidently, the Omya name is derived from 'Les Omyats', the residents of Omey.)

With high quality products and good relationships with customers, Pluess-Staufer AG soon became a well-known name beyond the borders of Switzerland.

However, chalk was not only an ideal raw material for putties. Rubber and paints could also be made more easily and cost-effectively with chalk. And so Pluess-Staufer started to develop new markets for their high quality whitings. But it was the arrival of plastics in the early 1950's that signalled the rapid growth of Omya to an international white minerals company.

The truly international nature of the business was recognised in 2000 when the Company's name was changed from Pluess-Staufer AG to Omya AG -the Omya name had become a global brand.

Today we not only process chalk but also limestone and marble as well to make calcium carbonate fillers and coating pigments used by numerous industries. Calcium carbonate is an important constituent of adhesives and paints, plastics and rubber, paper and board, as well as every day household products, such as toothpaste and cream cleansers. In fact, there are few products made today which don't use finely ground minerals made from chalk, limestone or marble.

With more then 6000 employees and over 100 sites, Omya today is a very different company from the putty factory founded in the nineteenth century. However, the maxim of our founder "Supply the best quality!" is as true today as it was then.

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