Production of phenolic resins in Czechoslovakia has increased rapidly in recent years and is ample to supply domestic requirements. Most of the raw materials are imported from Germany, Great Britain, and France, but formaldehyde is produced locally in sufficient quantities.
The principal makers of synthetic resins in Czechoslovakia are:
| (1) | Bratislavska tovarna na kable | Bratislava. |
| (2) | Schreiber & Co. | Lipnik |
| (3) | Ing. Alex Reiber | Sered |
| (4) | J. Elias | Prague |
| (5) | Mathias Oechsler & Sohn | Riegersdorf |
| (6) | J. Batistello, Jr. | Gablonz |
Resin products are widely used by the electrical industries for wall plates, plugs, switches, fuse boxes, etc. Other articles made of synthetic resins are: handles and knobs for furniture and kitchen equipment, bottle caps, fountain pens and pencils, clock and radio housings, tableware, cutlery handles, trays, buttons, toilet ware and toys.
Imports of synthetic resins in 1934 totaled 1,270,500 pounds; Germany supplied 46 percent and Great Britain 22 percent of this total. Exports of synthetic resins during the same year amounted to 166,540 pounds and went principally to Poland, Yugoslavia, Germany, and Argentina.
ITALY
The Societa Italiana Resine, an affiliate of the important chemical firm, Chimiche Forestali, is a leading maker of tar-acid resins in Italy. A new and modern plant is located at Milan in close proximity to the electrical and textile industries, both important markets for resins.
In 1936 the Ministry of Corporations granted Montecatini Societe Generale per l’Industria Mineraria, Milan, a permit to develop a factory for alkyd resins; and also Societe Italiana Ebonite and Sostituti, Milan, one to produce tar-acid resins. In 1937 a permit was granted to Montecatini S.A. for a plant to manufacture acrylic acid resins at the Villadossola works of the Soc. Elletrochimica del Toce.