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History

History

The history of Massag is a story of technical progress, entrepreneurial courage, and a continuous search for more efficient solutions. From the first mechanical innovations to modern manufacturing — every step was built on the ability to turn ideas into reality.

History KOH-I-NOOR

History of KOH-I-NOOR: From a small workshop to an industrial giant.

The story of the company began in 1900, when mechanic Hynek Puc founded a workshop to produce small metal goods. Two years later, businessman Jindřich Waldes joined him, followed by Eduard Merzinger, who invested capital won in a lottery into the company.

The main product of the workshop was the fashionable press stud, which later became a symbol and part of the KOH-I-NOOR company logo. A major turning point came in 1903, when Hynek Puc designed an automatic machine for inserting springs into press studs – this revolutionary innovation replaced slow manual work and started the company's rapid growth. Growing production required a move in 1907 to a modern factory in Vršovice, Prague which offered above-standard social facilities for its time. Thanks to its own machines and technical lead, the company became a leader in its field.

Jindřich Waldes gave the press stud the strategic name KOH-I-NOOR (after the world's largest diamond) and started a massive expansion with branches in Dresden (1904), Warsaw (1908), Paris (1911), and New York (1912). The legendary "MISS KIN" logo was created in 1912 during a voyage to America. It is said that one of the passengers jokingly held an enlarged sample of a press stud to her eye like a monocle. Waldes photographed her, and painters František Kupka and Vojtěch Preissig created the world-famous brand based on this snapshot – the logo of a girl with a press stud in her eye.

The prosperity of the Waldes company was interrupted in 1939 by the German occupation, during which Jewish property was aryanized, and the company was officially renamed KOH-I-NOOR, after its main product. In October 1945, the company was nationalized. By 1948, the company grew to 45 production establishments and continued to increase its production output. The company maintained its prestige and received the Honor of Labor in 1967. After 1980, it underwent a modernization of production, which laid the foundations for its current form.

  • 1828
    Company founded by Viennese entrepreneur Mathias Salcher
  • 1856
    The company is renamed Massag
  • 1900
    A small workshop is founded by mechanic Hynek Puc
  • 1902
    On June 1, 1902, Jindřich Waldes and Hynek Puc founded their own company, Waldes & Co., for the production of metal goods
  • 1903
    Hynek Puc designed an automatic machine for inserting springs into press studs
  • 1907
    The company relocates to Vršovice
  • 1912
    The legendary MISS KIN company logo is created
  • 1939
    The company is officially renamed KOH-I-NOOR
  • 1945
    Nationalization of the company and its assets
    • 1945
      After nationalization, the Bílovec plant came under the Prague brand KOH-I-NOOR
  • 1948
    The company expanded to 45 production plants
  • 1967
    Received the prestigious Order of Labor and the Czechoslovak Peace Prize
  • AFTER 1980
    Modernization of production laid the foundations for its current form
      • 1.1.2023
        The merger of the two brands took place on January 1, 2023.
        Together, they form the brand KOH-I-NOOR MASSAG, a.s., which combines proven quality with the current needs of modern life.

History MASSAG

History of MASSAG

The history of the MASSAG company began in 1828, when Mathias Salcher laid its foundations in Bílovec. In 1856, the company adopted the name MASSAG and soon conquered world markets with the high quality of its products, especially in the USA. It developed its professional know-how in 3 main areas: traditional metal production for the textile and footwear industry, surface treatments, and the production of logistics equipment.

A major chapter of cooperation with the KOH-I-NOOR brand began after 1945, when, as part of nationalization, the Bílovec establishment came under the management of the Prague enterprise. Although the factory adopted its partner's name at that time, the MASSAG brand was preserved as a symbol of continuity and quality. At the same time, the portfolio expanded to include iconic products such as ski bindings and pens, and the company gradually established itself as a key supplier of components for the automotive industry. The cooperation between the two companies culminated on January 1, 2023, in a strategic merger, which brought both brands together under the name KOH-I-NOOR MASSAG, a.s..