Our history

50 years expertise in nylon and polyamide

From its foundation in 1968 as Fibras ESSO, after its acquisition by SAMCA Group in 1999 and up to today, NUREL has gone through different stages and we have adapted to the fast changes experienced in our social, economic and industrial surroundings.

Nowadays, we have five decades of experience in nylon yarns and polyamide polymers and, since 2015, also in sustainable biopolymers.

Thanks to the work and effort of all people that belonged and belongs to NUREL, we have become a reference in the national and international market in the scopes of:

Nylon 6 y 66 Yarns
Engineering and Packaging Polymers
Biopolymers

There have been numerous events, changes, investigations and key achievements all the way up of NUREL's development, that have led to the company we are today. Here we put together some of the most important milestones of NUREL.

NUREL, 50 years of innovation and experience, get to know our history

1966

ESSO Plant Project

The petrochemical multinational ESSO develops the engineering project to build a nylon production plant in the district of Santa Isabel, Zaragoza.
1967

CONSTRUCTION

The construction and conditioning of one polymerization plant (P1) with four lines, one spinning plant (H1) with several sections, offices and service facilities takes place.
1968

Start Up

On December 10th production starts with 550 employees working in the plant. On the following year the official inauguration takes place, having as guests the Industry and the Development Plan Ministers.
1971

NUREL's PUBLICITY

ESSO nylon-made fabrics start to be advertised with fashion shows and catwalks all around the Spanish geography and also promoted in fairs. The commercial brand of the nylon yarns is NUREL.
1974

New Ownership

The plant is acquired by Banco Industrial del Mediterráneo and, shortly after, by the English company Imperial Chemical Industries. It is renamed after the commercial brand, NUREL, and the development of a new polyester production plant starts.
1977

Polyester Plant Inaugurtion

January 25th, the Industry Minister inaugurates the polyester yarn plant. Production starts with a daily rate of 75 tons, under the polyester yarn brand: TERYLENE.
1979

Recovery and Recycling Plant

At the end of the 70s, NUREL starts up a caprolactam recovery plant and a industrial waste depolymerization unit, in order to recycle it. We achieve our historic maximum of employees, 1503.
1986

NUREL in Barcelona

NUREL has its own logistic net, distribution stockhouses and the main office in Barcelona, where some of the most important departments are placed.
1988

Cogeneration and Digital Era

A cogeneration plant is inaugurated and converts, until 2005, primary energy into electrical and thermal energy. We start to work with PCs and a management system IBM-AS-400 with several terminals.
1992

ISO 9001 AND NEW OWNERSHIP

NUREL obtains ISO 9001 certification, of quality management and assurance. One year later, the executive team acquires the plant before the intention of closure by ICI.
1994

NUREL moves along

A production change from LOY to POY is made, the first stretch-warping unit is installed and new developments beging in polymerization. The brand of multifilament yarns is launched: NOVAREL.
1999

SAMCA Group acquires NUREL

Aragonese business group SAMCA buys NUREL's production plant to the previous owners. In summer 1999, NUREL's website is launched for the first time in its history.
2000

ISO 14001

NUREL achieves ISO 14001 certification of Environmental Management, that certifies the environment risks identification and the application of prevention procedures to avoid environmental accidents.
2002

New Investments

A new polyamide polymerization plant (P2) is started up, as well as a new spinning plant (H2) and a mechanical recycling unit. The production of microfibers starts.
2003

New Business Line: Polymer

The plastic division of NUREL starts up. Until that moment, all polymer produced at our facilites was used to self-supply. Commercial brand is launched in the following year: NOVAMID.
2005

Innovation and Patent

The first patent related to the encapsulation technology used by NUREL is published, being the only company in the sector to produce cosmetic fibers. NUREL launches the range of cosmetotextiles with NOVAREL Aloe.
2007

Packaging and Nylon 66

After a few modifications in the plant, NUREL is able to produce new high viscosity recipes suitable for film, allowing itself to enter the packaging market. Nylon 66 yarns production is started at the spinning plants.
2010

New Spinning Plant

In January, a modern nylon spinning plant H3 is inaugurated substituting the 1968 original (H1). One year later, plastic line is re-launched with a new brand: PROMYDE.
2013

New SSP Unit

A new Solid State Postcondensation unit is installed to produce high viscosity polyamide on a large scale, consolidating NUREL in the packaging and semi-finished products market.
2015

Biopolymers and more

Chosing a more sustainable industrial development, the business is widden with the start up of a new biopolymer plant, INZEA. NUREL obtains the ISO-50001 certification and the cosmetic satellite company ZEOMETIC is founded.
2017

New Recycling and Compounding Units

A new extrusion unit is installed to produce polyamide compounds and the replasticizing line is renovated, allowing to recover the industrial waste and convert it in production-suitable polymer chips.
2018

50 YEARS AND MUCH MORE

NUREL turns 50 while having 350 employees and producing an annual rate of 16,000 tons of compounds, 27,000 tons of polyamide polymer, 2,000 tons of recycled polymer and 7,200 of continuous nylon yarns.
2019

New PBT & PET Compounds range

NUREL develops and presents a new compounds product range based on PBT & PET, under the brand Terylene, widening our markets in the automotive and electrical scopes.
2020

Solar Energy & new biopolymers line

Following the company's commitment to the environment, 22,568 solar panels are installed on the ground and roofs at NUREL's industrial area, making it one of the largest grid-free self-consumption installations in Europe. Given the growing demand for more sustainable plastics, a second INZEA biopolymer extrusion line is started up.