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As part of an “industrial empire”, which began in 1874 and left a strong mark on modern Greek history, the PYRKAL factory in Ymittos is called to be landmark and in modern times with the relocation of nine ministries and the creation of an 80-acre park.
Read more: Old PYRKAL: 80 Acre Green Lung, Billion Savings.
PYRKAL was founded in 1874 and since then it has always been the main supplier of ammunition for the Greek Armed Forces, while exports of its products to the whole world have always been very important.
The company was initially founded as “Hellenic Powder Manufacturing SA”. in 1874, while their main competitor was the “Maltsinioti Brothers” in 1887. The competition between them to receive orders from the Greek state led them to a peculiar “war” between them that did not end except with the merger of the two companies. in 1908. Thus a new company was formed, the Company (Hellenic) Powder Factory and Glass Factory, with the initials EEPK or EPK, while the acronym PYR.KAL. established later.
Along with the production of ammunition and explosives, the company engaged in other activities, including the construction of an original infantry weapon of its own design, while it was engaged in the manufacture of diesel engines and other machinery, bodies, tools, industrial infrastructure. , burners.
Starting in 1934, the company passed into the hands of Prodromos Bodosakis-Athanasiadis, one of the most important players in 20th century Greek industry. PYRKAL eventually became part of an industrial empire, with core activities in the fields of mining, textiles, chemicals and fertilizers, glass, machinery and construction, as well as the provision of services (insurance, shipping, etc.).
From the ERT historical archive:
The years of occupation
PYRKAL was particularly favored by the export of munitions to the Democratic Party of war-torn Spain during the civil war of 1936-1939. In addition, its production was vital for Greece during GDP.
During the Occupation, its facilities passed into the hands of the Germans, who found them intact, as plans to remove the equipment and blow it up were not implemented. The Germans, however, did not fail in their plan and, leaving Greece, left the PYRKAL factory in ruins. Equipment and machinery also fled, and the once-largest industry in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East had to start from scratch.
Initially engaged in the production of metal goods and consumer products, it was soon reborn in its former glory thanks to a series of orders from the Greek army, NATO and, paradoxically, West Germany. In the next two decades PYRKAL was reborn and progressed, creating new facilities and developing new products.
However, it was hit hard when in 1976 the Greek state decided to create the EBO, which initially took over the production of the German Heckler & Koch G3 rifle, which was established by the Greek army instead of the FN FAL that PYRKAL already had. . It began to produce under license from the Belgian company FN and of which 30,000 pieces had already been manufactured in Greece (and eventually exported). The development of EVO seriously hurt PYRKAL as the two companies offered competing products. In the 1970s, the company suffered several more blows as it lost many of its traditional export customers, and eventually the state intervened in the 1980s to help the company.
Nationalization
In 1982, PYRKAL was nationalized. It continues to invest in research and development and expands its activities to new ammunition products, mines, bombs, detonators, electronics, etc. participates in the production of Stingers and other missiles. It even went on to develop its own weapons systems in the 1990s, and a modern Greek-designed wind turbine in 2002. In 2004, repeating the formula it applied a century ago, it merged with EBO to reorganize the defense industry. EAS (Greek defense systems).
New breath
The government’s plan to move nine ministries to the former PYRKAL factory complex in the Ymittos area was announced on Saturday by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The intervention will free up common areas for citizens, creating an 80-acre park, a development that will save one billion euros in 25 years based on the rents currently paid by the state.
See here the complete renovation plan
With information from EAS, wikipedia
