ProgramProdukcjiSTAR06

Sffi

The beginnings of iron industry in the middle Kamienna river region datę back to Roman times. Starachowice was founded in mid - 14th century as a smali industrial settlement adjacent to a forging shop established by Cistercians near Wąchock. In 1789 the prior of the monastery in Wąchock built a metallurgical furnace in Starachowice.

Between 1816 and 1819 the government of the King-dom of Poland launched a programme of industria-lization in Kielce region. At the initiative of Stanisław Staszic the area in the middle course of the Kamienna river was chosen as the main centre of invest-ment projects. A foundry and a rolling mili were built next to the furnace in Starachowice. In 1921, the then Ministry of Military Affairs signed an agree-ment with the Starachowice Society of Mining Enterprises. As a result of the agreement, preparations began for the production of guns and artillery shells.

Machines for the production were bought from Schneider and Vickers. The production was launched in 1926 under licences purchased from Bofors and Driggs. In the 1 930s, the factory's design Office developed new original models of guns including infantry field-pieces, howitzers, and A.A. guns.

The outbreak of World War Two put a halt to furt-her development of the works in Starachowice.

Towards the end of 1944, the retreating Nazi German forces ordered the works to be evacuated.

After the liberation of Starachowice on January 17th, 1945, the works started the production of ra-ilway brakes, tools and, some time later, trailers. In September 1948, the Minister of Industry and

Trade decided that the Starachowice Works would concentrate the production of trucks and tools. The production began without a sufficient number of skilled workers and machinery, without the help of licences bought from specialized firms — solely on the basis of foredesigns and designs elaborated by the factory's owń Staff. The first STAR trucks were produced at the beginning of December 1948. In July 1955, the government of the Polish People's Republic resolved to facilitate further expansion and modernization of the Truck Factory. New industrial installations were built while the stock of machines was modernized and expanded. New types of vehic-les and engines were developed. The production technology was considerably changed. As a result of those undertakings the Truck Factory was inclu-ded in the first category of enterprises.

In 1968, complex investment tasks which affected the entire factory were designed and approved for implementation. The investment means allocated at