In May 1996, the first tonnes of p‑toluenesulfonic acid were produced in a factory unit in Děčín‑Boletice that had stood empty just a year earlier. Thirty years on, HABRINOL has produced 500,000 tonnes. How have the plant and the people behind it changed over those three decades?
How it began
HABRINOL’s story in Děčín began on 2 May 1995, when its founding partners signed the company agreement. They then met for the new company’s first general meeting.
The new business was not starting from scratch. It drew on the experience of the original HABRINOL Halle company in Germany, whose production was transferred to Děčín. Co‑founder Manfred Hubert was personally involved in the move. Within a year, the empty unit had been fitted out with a complete production line.
In May 1996, those preparations came to fruition. The founding partners marked the launch of PTSA production, and the plant began operating. It employed nine people at the time and supplied mainly Germany and the Czech Republic.
Three decades of growth
The plant opened with four reactors in 1996 and expanded steadily in the years that followed. The second and third phases of construction, between 1998 and 2000, brought the total to nine. HABRINOL now operates ten reactors.
Once construction was complete, the company focused on making production as reliable and safe as possible. It upgraded the control room, from which operators manage production, in 2012 and again in 2023. Between those upgrades, 2017 was a turning point: the plant gained its own compressor station and a nitrogen station that maintains an inert atmosphere in the reactors, while the laboratory was modernised. HABRINOL has also maintained ISO certification continuously since that year.
Further investment followed in storage, safety, and water and energy management. In 2019, the company added four product storage tanks and upgraded the gas detection and weighing systems in the production building. In 2021, it installed a backup power supply and renewed its water treatment and cooling systems, including the cooling towers. Reverse osmosis equipment for producing demineralised water and an upgraded steam connection followed in 2024. Most recently, the company built a solar photovoltaic installation and transformer substation in 2025 and 2026.
What has stayed the same
Although the plant has changed over thirty years, the chemistry at its heart has not. Production is based on sulfonation, a reaction that produces arylsulfonic acids. HABRINOL uses it to make p‑toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA), xylenesulfonic acid (XSA) and blends tailored to customers’ requirements.
The commitment to quality control has remained just as strong. HABRINOL’s own laboratory tests every batch, and customers receive a certificate of analysis with it. This day‑to‑day testing is supported by an integrated ISO‑based management system covering quality, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, and energy management. Find out more about HABRINOL.
500,000 tonnes — and the people behind them
In 2026, thirty years of production brought HABRINOL to a milestone: 500,000 tonnes produced since the plant opened. Behind that figure are its people. The team has grown from nine employees to 25.
The company celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its founding in May 2025 with a boat trip on the River Elbe. It invited its founders, former employees and business partners, mainly customers and suppliers. As the company’s managing director reflects:
“Thirty years of production is an important milestone for us, and above all a testament to the people who have built and developed HABRINOL over that time. Special thanks go to our co‑founder Manfred Hubert, who helped move production from Germany to Děčín and devoted 46 years of his working life to PTSA production. His expertise and personal commitment are an inseparable part of our history. Of course, we also thank every employee and business partner who has been, and continues to be, part of our story.”
Looking ahead
The company that began with nine people and two main markets now supplies more than fifteen countries. It plans to build on that progress by expanding sales into more countries and new continents. It also aims to develop new formulations that meet customers’ needs and increasingly stringent environmental requirements.
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