A White Swan - the symbol of tradition and purity
The logo used by the SHP Group for all its companies - a white swan - is
the oldest registered trade mark still used in Slovakia. It has been used
for over one hundred years even though it was officially registered in the
Chamber of Commerce in Banska Bystrica as late as in 1910 and has since
undergone numerous graphic changes Behind the logo lies a history of
paper making in Harmanec dating back to 19th century (1829).
For decades, the white swan has been representing strong and stable company
producing sanitary paper products.
SHP Harmanec
The paper mill in Harmanec was built by František Zikmund Leicht, a merchant from Banska Bystrica in 1829, originally as a handmade paper manufacture. In the middle of the 19th century it was one of the most modern paper manufactures in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the turn of the 19th century the sanitary paper products started to be made here. First, it was a folded toilet paper Hermandol followed later by the hand cut paper napkins. During the second World War, the range was extended by sanitary pads for ladies and cellulose nappies for babies. The new history of the paper mill started in 1972 when a paper machine producing sanitary papers was installed and the wastepaper started to be used as a new production material. The paper mill has preserved its modern and dynamic character until today and invests around 6 mil. EUR every year into developing new technologies and improving production processes. In 2002 Harmanec paper mill changed its name to SHP Harmanec and became a part of the group of industrial and business companies, which specialize in production and distribution of sanitary paper products under the name SHP Group.
| 1829 | - | František Zigmund Leicht, a merchant from Banska Bystrica builds an original paper mill from scratch in the meadows called „Pod košiarom“ located on the grounds of Dolný Harmenec |
| 1841 | - | Paper machine manufacturing starts and Harmanec paper mill becomes the second biggest paper manufacturer in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. |
| 1910 | - | The trade mark „Biela labuť“ (A White Swan) which is our oldest registered trade mark used in Slovakia up to the present day, is registered. |
| 1972 | - | Harmanec paper mill is the first producer of the toilet paper rolls in the former Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. |
| 1999 | - | All products of SHP Harmanec are renamed HARMONY with an exception of the toilet paper Harmasan |
| 2002 | - | Harmanec paper mill joins the SHP (Slovak Hygienic Paper) Group and the company’s name is changed to SHP Harmanec. |
SHP Slavošovce
The municipality of Slavošovce, founded in 1318, is situated in the area of Horný Gemer. In 1817, a dilapidated iron mill in Slavošovce was converted into a paper mill and the history of paper making in this village started although its development was not at all easy. With the exception of the first decades, the paper mill was going almost permanently from one extreme to another, overcoming numerous crises but at the same time growing and developing. In 1923, during the existence of the Czechoslovak Republic, the paper mill ran into financial difficulties and was proposed for sale. Nevertheless, professor Ursíny from the Czech Technical University in Brno, put in a good word for the production in Slavošovce with the prime minister and thanks to that the paper mill got a state renovation grant and survived. In the 20th century the paper mill focused on producing school notebooks and writing pads while the paper napkins made up only a part of the manufacturing programme. Now, after the company joined the SHP Group under the name of SHP Slavošovce, it focuses exclusively on paper napkins production and distribution.
SHP Celex
SHP CELEX, Inc, Banja Luka is a successive company to ZDP Celex, Banja Luka in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The original company had a very rich history, was well experienced and had an excellent reputation in the field of sanitary paper production in the countries of former Yugoslavia. The modern history of the company started on 27 June 2002 when, after an extensive reconstruction, a new paper making machine was installed and put into operation and soon after that a new production line was up and running. This marked a new era of sanitary paper product manufacturing in the renovated company SHP Celex. Within three years after the renovation, the production has risen four times and today the company has a high potential for further growth and prosperity.
SHP Bohemia
The formation of the business company SHP Bohemia was inevitable due to the creation of two independant states, the Czech and the Slovak Republics. SHP Harmanec, Inc. has traditionally been active in the Czech market but in order to continue and develop business in the Czech Republic, a new business entity had to be set up. In November 1996, SHP Bohemia was founded establishing its headquarters in Kroměříž and moving to Prague later in March 2003
SHP Hungaria
SHP Hungária was founded in November 2002 as a business and service company of the SHP Group focusing on the Hungarian market. The foundation of this company is a part of SHP Group activities aiming to establish the leading position in the sector of sanitary paper products in the markets of central and eastern Europe and Balkan countries.
SHP Celje, d.o.o
SHP Celje, d.o.o. (SLO) is the youngest company of the SHP group. It was founded in February 2005 in Celje, Slovenia to respond to growing demands of Slovenian and Croatian markets which are the SHP Group’s key markets in the South East Europe region.