VSM celebrates its anniversary: 160 years of abrasives expertise from Hanover

VSM is celebrating its 160th anniversary at the end of May. An industrial success story “Made in Germany” - from glass and emery paper to high-tech precision abrasives.

For 160 years, VSM has provided abrasives in a quality that sets standards. Customers from industry, trade and commerce all around the world place their trust in VSM.

From Hanover to the world: Quality from Germany

It all began in a very straightforward way – what today would be called a start-up 160 years ago, on 28 May 1864, Siegmund Oppenheim and Siegmund Seeligmann founded the company S. Oppenheim & Co. Not in a garage, but in a barn on the outskirts of Hanover. The company set up in Hainholz and began initially with the small-scale, manual production of glass and flint paper. These abrasives were used in the processing of wood and other soft materials.

From glass to emery

Industrialisation placed the focus on new materials such as steel, for which glass and flint were not suitable. VSM therefore soon switched to emery, a hard rock that wears less quickly. Emery quickly became the company’s most important raw material, and its enormous importance is still reflected in the company name today. The emery paper was soon followed by other products such as emery cloth and emery discs. They gradually conquered the factories in Europe under brand names such as Vulkan, Neptun, Helios and Atlas.

Establishment of VSM AG

In September 1898, two of the largest German abrasives manufacturers, S. Oppenheim & Co. Hainholz and Schlesinger & Co. Harburg merged to form the Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken Aktiengesellschaft. The listed company was located in Hanover and the Schlesinger plant in Hamburg-Harburg was continued as a subsidiary (until 1931). At the time of its 50th anniversary in 1914, almost 800 people were employed at VSM, making it one of the most important companies in Hanover back then.

Specialist in coated abrasives

By the turn of the century, natural abrasives such as emery were increasingly replaced by synthetically produced abrasives such as aluminium oxide or zirconium alumina. Since 1930, VSM has focused on the production of abrasives on flexible substrates, i.e. on carriers made of paper, cloth or vulcanised fibre. From 1932, a new, in-house finishing plant significantly increased product quality and the company also began to make an international breakthrough under the Vitex brand name.

A leading innovator through the decades

From the 60s and 70s onwards, a range of technical innovations enabled VSM to improve the quality of abrasives to a new level. Electrostatic coating, for example, which has been used since 1962, where abrasive grains are consistently applied with the tip uppermost on the backing, significantly increased the stock removal rate. 1978 saw the next big step: An abrasive with grain agglomerates was introduced to the market. With the VSM COMPACTGRAIN long-term abrasive, new grains are released gradually and a new sharp grain can be ground again and again. To this day, VSM COMPACTGRAIN is still a bestseller.

Own ceramic grain made in Hanover

Since 2004, VSM has been producing its own ceramic grain, which under the name VSM CERAMICS has become the epitome of particularly high stock-removing abrasives. Like all VSM ceramic grain products, it has a self-sharpening effect that ensures consistently high stock removal. In 2018, VSM took ceramic grain development to the next level with its geometrically shaped VSM ACTIROX. It achieves even more stock removal for long service lives with an aggressive, cool grind and is the bestseller in the VSM range.

In addition to its ceramic grain flagship product, VSM has also been able to continuously demonstrate its innovative strength in the development of further series: For example, the coated abrasive VSM ILUMERON in 2018, which produces the finest high-gloss surfaces, or VSM ALU-X in 2023, which optimises the grinding of non-ferrous metals such as aluminium without clogging.

“We know abrasives” - then, now and in future

With more than 850 employees, subsidiaries and sales partners in 70 countries and now 160 years of experience in abrasives production, the company is one of the most renowned suppliers in the industry and, thanks to its innovative strength in global competition, also considers itself well positioned for the future. In order to continue to offer market-leading products, the company will continue to invest in its home location in Hanover-Hainholz. In future decades, our slogan will remain: "We know abrasives".