1955

Cigarette Manufacturing in TKP

Veni Vidi Vici

First fabrication

After Economic Institute- Skopje had launched the study for Status of tobacco industry and cigarette fabrication in the state and Republic, the request was sent to Prilep's County Committee, for re-registering of main activity of Tutunski Kombinat from 'company for tobacco processing' into 'company for tobacco processing & manufacturing of cigarettes', that was approved with Decision from County Committee and registered in Trade Court of Bitola in 1955.

First machines for cigarette manufacturing were the machines from the Institute, located in the Old Warehouse, that was built by the Ottoman Regie (1873)..

Old Warehouse as factory

The Warehouse was adapted suchwise that in the ground & first floor were located machines for cigarette manufacturing and second floor was used for storing of the raw materials and final products.

This Warehouse is used as a factory, because the birth of organized company for tobacco processing in Prilep commenced with the building of the Warehouse of Ottoman Regie in 1873. Hence this object represents the origin of industrial cigarette fabrication in 1955, or 82 years after the building of the Old Warehouse.

Cadre of this factory were trained in Ljubljana and partly in Skopje and Saraevo. These workers were skilled in cigarette manufacturing in the Institute. After their return, the factory started to enlarge its scope with far bigger production than the Institute. With wider acceptance of the cigarettes on the market, in 1955 the new machines C-6 were acquired from Skoda's plants in Plzen - Czechoslovakia. This machine was seen on Zagreb's fair, and the contract was made with Skoda's zavody from Plzen. The machine was acquired in September 1955 and paid in cash with money from Tutunski Kombinat, with help of Association of tobacco growers from Prilep and Agricultural economy for tobacco production "Borka Levata" - Prilep.

Especially we have to emphasize the understanding of working class from tobacco workers organizations that Prilep needs modern cigarette factory that will represent Prilep on domestic and foreign market, not only in sold leaf tobacco, but also in final products i.e. cigarettes.

In the beginning with activation of the new Skoda's machine, the packing of tobacco was hard (Schieberschacht) and manual. In 1956 the new Skoda's machine was acquired - this time C-7 and machine for soft pack from Western Germany's firm Hauni. As a result of this equipment in 1956 in Prilep the cigarette factory was completed with increased presence on domestic market. At first, the selling was going through trade workers and then the branch office is formed in Belgrade and warehouses in Zagreb so the whole trade network of Yugoslavia was encompassed.

Then in 1958 new machines were acquired for production and automatic cellophaning from Western Germany and semi-automatic packing from Saraevo, with which the new stage had begun for further expansion and modernization of the cigarette factory with gradual increasing year by year.

According to the registered data for produced cigarette quantity in the Cigarette factory in TKP (1955), the start was only 31 tons of cigarettes.

This production is reflection of the new and unaccustomed working process and because the production started at the end of the year. Also the effect was partly due to the aging machinery and that was continuing until 1960 with production of below 500 tons per year.

From 1000 tons up to 2000 tons were produced in the Factory till 1968, and above 2000 tons in 1969, the year when the new cigarette factory commenced with work; hence in 1970-1971 produced cigarette volume was over 5000 tons.

Prilep's cigarettes starting from 1956, in period of 15 years, have increased their presence for more than 45 times. Accordingly the share of TKP's cigarette production in the total Republic production was increased from 10,08% in 1956 to 73,85% in 1971. Such expansion of Prilep's cigarettes on domestic and foreign market is a result of advanced technology in cigarette production based on high quality of prilep's aromatic tobaccos and other tobacco types from the Republic and SFRJ.

1969 NEW ERA IN MODERNIZATION OF CIGARETTE MANUFACTURING

Turning point of the development of cigarette manufacturing is 1969. In this year the new cigarette factory was built on a new location and with a new technology, one of the most modern factories in Europe. Consequentially Tutunski Kombinat was enlisted as one of the larger tobacco companies in Yugoslavia and in Europe.

At the start, the new cigarette factory had a volume capacity of 5000 tons annualy, of various cigarettes with highest quality. That was caused by the most modern equipment acquired from "Hauni" - Western Germany.

The overall production process in this factory was automatized and mechanized from the preparation of the tobacco, moisturizing, conditioning, expanding, blending and cutting to the feeding of the machines for cigarete manufacturing and packing. All process was automatic and the workers had only to start the machines and to oversee the work.

Licensed cigarettes - CEO of Tutunski Kombinat, comrade Mate Volnaroski (archive)

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Factory 1

Present Factory

In this plant (Factory I) are produced oriental and blend cigarettes from European and American type. For the first time in Yugoslavia here were produced cigarettes in hard American "hint schlicht" pack.

Licensed cigarettes

In this factory was produced quite popular brand on world market „НВ“ which showed increased demand in Yugoslavia and Europe.

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