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I began to work with Samuel Weiss. In 1945 he became deputy minister of the chemical industry. He gave me the task to complete an inventory of trophy chemical products in Uzhgorod and develop a proposal for their further use. This was my first job. I managed to find heating oil in underground containers that the Germans had stored for locomotives moving to the front. There were dozens of 60-ton containers there.
From the time when I studied in Budapest, I knew the recipe of the wheel lubricant and there was sufficient heating oil to make this grease. I made this proposal to make lubricant for the needs of the army and they asked me whether I could do it. I said I could. The timber factory supplied us with beech tar which was one of the components. Grease for wheels was our first product that we made for Ukraine.
I was authorized to establish production on the former saw mill that hadn’t operated since the early 1940s. We couldn’t start production of wheel grease for vehicles for lack of the necessary components. We started production of goods for schools: chalk and ink. Our factory was expanding and we were given another building where I arranged a soap factory. We started from making plain household soap from bone fat that was supplied from the meat factory. When we expanded production, we managed to arrange production of toilet soap. Besides, we started production of an ointment for scab.
I was manager of these two shops at our factory and in 1948 it expanded to set up a household chemistry plant and it was developing fast. I was appointed director of the plant. We were expanding our products and some time later this plant turned into an enterprise of all-Union significance.
From the time when I studied in Budapest, I knew the recipe of the wheel lubricant and there was sufficient heating oil to make this grease. I made this proposal to make lubricant for the needs of the army and they asked me whether I could do it. I said I could. The timber factory supplied us with beech tar which was one of the components. Grease for wheels was our first product that we made for Ukraine.
I was authorized to establish production on the former saw mill that hadn’t operated since the early 1940s. We couldn’t start production of wheel grease for vehicles for lack of the necessary components. We started production of goods for schools: chalk and ink. Our factory was expanding and we were given another building where I arranged a soap factory. We started from making plain household soap from bone fat that was supplied from the meat factory. When we expanded production, we managed to arrange production of toilet soap. Besides, we started production of an ointment for scab.
I was manager of these two shops at our factory and in 1948 it expanded to set up a household chemistry plant and it was developing fast. I was appointed director of the plant. We were expanding our products and some time later this plant turned into an enterprise of all-Union significance.
Period
Location
Uzhgorod
Ukraine
Interview
Stepan Neuman