VSM’s high-quality abrasives attracted the attention of the industry in neighbouring countries at an early stage. As early as the 1890s, for example, VSM had an eye on the highly interesting English market and built a factory there based on the Hainholz model. The company was actually very successful in Great Britain with its own English brand “Atlas”, but the plant was lost in 1918 as a result of the First World War. But at the turn of the century, business was already booming in the rest of Europe. Early on, we had our own offices in Breslau, Brussels, Paris and Turin. But unfortunately, due to the two world wars, international business was also lost for the time being.

It was not until 1955 that the lost contacts to the United Kingdom could be re-established. With the establishment of the subsidiary VSM Abrasives Ltd., the internationalisation of VSM began in Great Britain. In 1974, the Spanish subsidiary VSM Vitex Abrasivo Iberica, S.A.U. was founded. And in 1978, the founding of VSM Abrasives Corporation in 1978 was a major milestone for VSM: The US subsidiary was able to successfully conquer the important US market for abrasives at the time.

Following the economic turbulence of the 1980s and strict modernisation measures, including new plants for weaving equipment and grain production, subsidiaries were founded in Canada (VSM Abrasives Canada Inc., 1992), Switzerland (Pferd-Vitex AG, 1994) and the complete acquisition of the Duna Vitex plant in Hungary (also 1994).

Since then, VSM has also been represented in Poland (Pferd-VSM Sp. Zoo, 1997), France (VSM Impavide S.A.S., 1998) and most recently in 2017 in Colombia (VSM Abrasivos Latinoamérica S.A.S.) with its own subsidiaries – and is close to its customers all around the world.

Today, VSM is active with subsidiaries or partners in more than 70 countries. A global network of VSM specialists provides expert advice wherever it is needed irrespective of whether your company is large or small.