COMPANY: History

From rayon to polyester, a development full of history

Full history

1924 : Construction of the Gauchy plant by Viscose Française to make rayon.

1950 : Birth of the polyester fibre Tergal®.

1972 : Rhône-Poulenc acquires the Gauchy site and begins production of the
           polyester fibre Tergal®.

1978 : All production of polyester fibres by the Rhône-Poulenc Group is moved
           to Gauchy.

1985 : Start-up of the production of a PET for film applications.

1992 : First ISO 9001 certification by AFAQ.

1995 : The Gauchy site becomes a subsidiary of the Fibres and Polymers business
            of the Rhône-Poulenc Group and is renamed "Tergal Fibres".

1996 : Launch of the first discontinuous polyester microfibre - FILIFINE®.
           Start-up of the production of a PET for bottle applications.

1998 : Acquisition of a Solid State Post-condensation process.

2000 : Increase of fibre production capacity to 35,000 t/year.

2003 : Increase of PET resin production capacity to 65,000 t/year.
           Start of the production of recycled resin (RESEKO™) with approval for food contact.

2005 : Validation of the UV protection PET resin LacPET™ and marketing in Spain for packaging dairy products.

2006 : Tergal Fibres becomes Tergal Industries for its Fibre and Packaging businesses.
           Commercial development of the LacPET™ solution.

2007 : Marketing of LacPET™ on the French market.