Our history

NUREL History

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 History Facilities 1968

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

  • NUREL Project 1966 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.

  • NUREL Construction 1967 History

    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.

  • Press NUREL Opening 1968 History

    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.

  • NUREL Fashion Show 1971 History

    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.

  • Polyester Plant Project NUREL 1974 History

    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.

  • NUREL Plant 1977 History

    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.

  • NUREL Plant 1979 History

    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.

  • NUREL Main Office Barcelona 1986 History

    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.

  • NUREL Computers 1988 History

    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.

  • Polyamide Warping NUREL 1992 History

    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.

  • NOVAREL Hangtags NUREL 1994 History

    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.

  • NUREL Warping 1999 History

    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.

  • Cogeneration Plant NUREL 2000 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.

  • Control Room P2 NUREL 2002 History

    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.

  • Polyamide Chips NUREL 2003 History

    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.

  • NUREL Laboratory 2005 History

    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.

  • NUREL Warping 2007 History

    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.

  • NUREL Spinning H3 2010 History

    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.

  • NUREL Polimerization 2 2013 History

    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.

  • INZEA Extruder NUREL 2015 History

    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. 

  • Replasticizing Line NUREL 2017 History

    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.

  • NUREL Plant 2018 History

    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.

  • New PBT & PET Compounds range NUREL 2019

    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.

  • NUREL Solar Panels Renewable Energy 2020

    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.