CHEMOSVIT SVIT, ARTIFICIAL FIBER PLANT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000800430007-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 18, 2002
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 19, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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Approved For Release 2002/07/23 : CIA-RDP80-00810A000800430007-9
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECURITY INFORMATION
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
25X1A
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
Czechoslovakia
avit
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REPORT NO.
iber Plar. DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
19 May 1953
25)11A
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS . REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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SOURcE:
The rtificta1 fiber plant, k...nown a Chemosvit Svi.t, 'National Corporation? locat,
at Svit? formerly Batizovce ,C4905N-2012E71 Slcritakia, was created by J.A. BATA.
as a part of the 1iikata concern* [See Annex 1-fOr an area sketch of the plant/
The first production unit, built in 1935,-watz.5 a pilot plant headed by the chemist
Tng (fact) /USA, an expert in the field : rayen production. After 1945 PISA
was one of the managers of the Dynamit-Nobel Works in Bratislava, but was
removed in 1950 because of being non-Communist. In 1952 he Was a prpfeesor at
the TechrLical University of Bratislava,
2. During 1937 the pilot plant developed into a new factory wh.ich was engaged in
25X1 three main branches of production: rayon yarn; rayon clip ("staple"); arid fine
transparent cel.lophane sheet; for Wrappinz?ptzrposes* This plant was -ectuipped
with Centxtfugal rayon-4pi.mling machines, first of German), later of American
make (Butterworth Phila., tth Bri?.ms, Oscar Cohn firma,. etc, ),
The development of the enterprise continued ravidlyr chiefly because of the
activities of its young and energe?tic manager (fnu) LEP/K. LdEPIK was an
anti-Communist and therefore was arrested immediately atter the coup dretat
of February 1948; he has ? since been held, incOmmanicadO, and as Of -the summer of
1952 Ms former collaboratOrs were without new or tdre, The top executives
STATE ?1-11f XI ARMY -#X
3.SCPBT
NAVY 4bC? AIR
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f?4BOUAITY INFORMATION
of he new enterprise were selected fries' amon&executiVOS'ef?the-
mother plant-at"ZIin. In 1946-1947 (fnu) FRYDRYCH,'-a-tektile expert,
established several, new production branches, such at; spinning of wool
mixed with rayon 'clip, production of jersey, interlock, and warp
tektUre'(Kettenware)-for Manufacture of lingerie, and manufacture-of'
Becks and ladies' stockings. FRYDRYCH was removed from the ? enterprise
in 1951 because of being anti-Communist. Since 1938 the enterprise ?
had a designing department of its own which, for example, worked out
equipment for continuous cellophane production and an arrangement
which simplified preparation and aging of viscose. In the Summer of
1952, the designing department was headed by Ins. (fnu) NOVOTNY.
The chief designer for spinning machinery was Opyald HUDECEK. The
foundry and machinery shops of the enterprise .0k6.:v:. B, Points-#35-
317 were headed by .(fnu) FRIEDLAENDER and employed about 600 persons.
During the last few years both departments have been intensively
engaged in the production of machinery for a new artificial fiber
plant, called Zavod miru, National Corporation, in Bratislava. Thilv
machinery included chiefly centrifugal ppinning twisting, and
washing machines.
4. In the Summer of 1952 there were approximately 100 centrifugal
spinning machines at ,1,66itatUVENIM. The number of
employees totalled, 'slime 1947, iron 4,000 to 5,000 persons. Until
the. Communist coup dletat of February 1948, Communist influence was
negligible.. Top positions in the enterprise were chiefly held by.
non-Communists and only about 150 persons out of the total number of
employees were registered Party members. /n 1950 the General
Management of the Chemical Industry called a meeting of top executives
of the Czechoslovak artificial fiber industry in Prague, and the
leading -chemist of the Svit Works at Svit, (fnu) BROSKA, reported on
the activities of this enterprise. It was apparent from his report
that the plant was working at the lowest production aost in crowns-
per-kilogram and, had the highest production capacity of all the
plants of this kind in Czechoslovakia.
5. After the coup d'etat the enterprise began to use the name Tatrasyit
originally its cable address. As a result of the liquidation .of,the
former Bata concern the Tatrasvit National Enterprise at Svit was
broken down into separate concerns in 1951/1952. Production of rayon
yarn, rayon clip, and cellophane, as well as the foundry and the
machine shops, were set apart and received the name of Chemosvit:Svit
National Enterprise. This new enterprise was placed under the juris-
diction of the Main Administration for Artificial Fibers (Rlavni
sTrava, umelych vlaken), a division of the Ministry of Chemical
Industry. In the summer of 1951 this Ministry established a Central
Research Institute for Artificial Fibers rex, B, Point 7J within
the enterprise. The remaining branches o production were taken away
from the Svit Plant and, incorporated into other national enterprises.
Hosiery production was to be transferred to Revues. 01801N-2007C.
I do not know where the other production branches were to be moved to.
Production of Silon Clip
6. The Ministry of Chemical Industry ordered an experimental produotiOn
unit for a silon clip, sometimes called a "staple", equipped with
four polymerization chambers, to be designed and set up in 1951' at
the Institute for Chemical Research on Polyamides (Ustav pro ohemiek*
vyzkum polyamidu) in Gottwaldov. The plans for this production unit
had been drawn up by Ing. (fnu) MORAVEC,.the manager of. this Institute,
and three of his top executives, (fnu) SOCHOR, (fnu) KRENOVSKY, and
Alois NAVRATIL. The production equipment was manufactured by the .
machinery plant of the Svit National Enterprise at flottwaldov. The
experimental production unit was established and sot in,operation at
the Chemoevit-Svit National Enterprise at Svit (formerly Batizovce)
21905N-2012E7 in the Fall of 1951 as a constituent part Of the new
0-silt:goal Institute for Research on Artificial Mere which was
established there in 1951. Zrcalex 238 Point #7.1
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7. CaproladtaM the basic raw material for silon predudtion
W ri onieub
in -a eimilar Manner aS for "the production of ellen yarn A
A AA vurrig
Cry6taliihe-daprolactam (usually, but chemidally incorrectly referred
to ati-41tetaM salt") sup lied in aluminum. barrels E .d1: Cs. Point 01117?
was weighed on a scale " 'Point IT and fe by means of a ?
tranaporter-jrgal. C, Point #Ic to a con ainer 1. C, Point #2a
Where it was dissolved in distilled water at a temperature of 176Y
and and adjUsted to a concentration of 70% ."salt". The distilled water
Was aUpplied from a condensation tank C, C0 Point #527 and on its
Way to the container C, Point #2-7 exactly measured by meansof
t-rotameter hVIUX,. Cp 4 oint Aysg. One per cent of aminocaproic or
oxalic, acid was added to the solution as a stabilizing agent.
8. After thorough stirring, the solution was fed to a homogenizer
C, Point #2.127 located in the basement of the building. From
here it was pumped automatically to an elevated tank ZR.taCI, C,
Point #527 beneath which was -a filter unit .0601.A. cs Point #317. 1
A mixer -c1, Co Point #5.e7, located below the filters, ensured the
homogeneity of the solution. From here the caprolactam solution' .
was supplied to a container giiial. C, Point 44a7 which, by means of
afloat, maintained en even pressure throughola the system.
9. The.polymerizatioh. chamber, Was fed automatically through a float
. .
valve Lac'. C, Point #4 to-ensure both a constant level and' 4
continuous flow of caprolactam solution. The float was connected
to an indicator 27hcl. Co Point #427 for visual Observation. The
daprolactam flowed down the shaft of the. floats which was hot from
the hiLh vempera'Aire LaiLtain(d.lm the :haLber, and WLs at the acme
time heated above 2120E. As -a result, the water evaporated before
.the solution could reach the level of the liquid caprolactam. The
polymerization chamber was equipped with partitions arranged cross-
wise Lliot shown in the sketcy tb avoid eaprolactim monomer from
penetrating the higher polymer. A pump .Enol. C, Point #47 with
a capacity of 6,000 cu. mm. per revolution fed the polymer through
a filter ancl. C, Point ft7 to a nozwle jnol. C, Point #47,
which had a diameter of 60 mm. and was provided with 120 openings,
each 0.4-mm. wide.
10. The filament coming out of the nozzle wound onto a drum, 2ncl. Co
Point #617 1,000 mm, in diameter and about 200 mm. in width, the
.peripheral speed of which, was at least 1,000 m. _per minute. The
filament was stretched While being wound onto the drum by, means of a
-traVersing mechanism; 27nc1. C, Point #67. There were two of thetae.
drums placed, alongside each other but each was driven separately. .
As aoon as one drum was covered by 4 layer of about 10 mm; thickneee,
the fil, ent Time switliwg 'Ovr:. to the other drum where windiniv
continued. 'Meanwhile, the first drum stopped revolving and the ring
formed by wound-on filament was cut across at a?eertain 'spot-by a.
hand-operated, electrically heated knife, so that a band 10 Mis.
thick, 3,142 mot. long, and about 150 mm. wide was formed. The fila-
ment was never wound onto the entire width of, the drum and the
marginal parts were left free.
11. The band thus obtained was cut into clip 60 mm. long by a cutting -
machine working on. the German "gru-grun principle. .This clip was
eluted in a pressure washing machine 27no1.-C, Point #g by means
of circulating warm water 'which removed the residual caprolactam
monomer. The washed clip then went to a centrifuge-27nel. C,
point #27 and subsequently to a feeder nel. C, Point #127 which
separated the- sqltp clusters And fed the clip uniformly,intb-a drying
chamber fnel. C, Point A417. here its water, content was reduced to
about 4. ); of dry. weight. The clip was finally loaded into bags,
an operation which for the time "being was carried out by hand..
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HOWeVer, 'a5Ot the" SUisterOr 1950, it Was planned tO" get 'up alt
autonittio packing arratigenent do/misting of an okhaUSter? tube
IicI ek Point 41202- a' itentilatorights,?: C's Peint, #12g-? and '11,
?ideA, C,-"Point "1217. is would enable the clip . to be
oyclbno'Tp
Separated" re* the air .strean, and a bag Actlii. Clio Point .#147 was
to be fastened to the exhauster tube.
12. Each of the four polymerization chambers produced about 2.4 kg. of
clipper hour. The unit was operated by about 10 persons per shift.
The clip was delivered to unidentified Czechoslovak textile plants.
13. The year 1952 was considered to be a testing period, for experimental
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production of ellen clip. By the SuMmer of 1952, however, no clear
iiesultallad yet been obtained. A development program for research on
technical equipment was in preparation. The object was to;make'
centinuoUs production possible with a minimum of personnel. The
most difficult problem encountered was the, development of a.oUtting
maohine operating continuously at a minimum speed of 10001.4er
minute. A prototype of Such a machine was designed in the Summer
of 1952 at the Silon National Enteeprise in Plana nad Luznict
OT921N-1442g.
Andeces; ; A. Obettortitt taps', lit 'Ektrit, _., 1'4, It
B Cheradirvit, tsp., in 'Eirlit
linclosure Oh Experimental Production of Silon Clip at the (
"Ohemosvit Svitn National Enterprise (2 pages) (OAR) '
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A SECREWSECURITY IMORMATION
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ARM
Approved For ReleteARN7DRE9,..gypipapaR,H89,108004300
, Chemot Plant, n.p. in Svit near Poprad, Slovakia, CSR.
Seale: 1:10,000
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B (Com a) SEa SECURITY INFORMATION
114112A.
-1; Ten-story warehoude for finished goodi -
2. Five-story building 3
3. Single-story building' Wool spinning* Various textile shops
4. FiVe-story building
5. Five-story office building with porter's lodge
7; Five-story buildings Central Research Institute for Artificial Fibers
'9. Single-story buildin:3 D
10; Single=stdry bui/din yeing shops
11; Iuxiliaries Production shop
12 '
13. Rayon yarn processing shops
14.
15. Chemidel Laboratory
17. Unknown '
22. Auxiliaries production shop
22j '
23. Rayon yarn production shops, single-stori
24
25-'4
2 6 j Rayon clip production shops, single-story
27. Cellophane production shop, single-story
28. Unknown
31. Auxiliaries production shop
32)
33. Rayon yarn production shops, single-story
34., .
35. Two-story building
36. Single-story building) Machine shops
37. Foundry, single-Story
41. Coal warehouse '
42. Power station with two steel chiMneys
514 Unknown
62. Unknown
1
Yote: Numbers of buildings slyen in the legend are in accordanc4 with the
original numbering of these buildings as used by the?Svit Plant.
All buildings have a. standardized size of 20 x 80 m. Ittimbera not
given in the above legend mean plots of land tO,be used for
possible enlargement of the-enterpriseg
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