Before the Establishment of the Cooperative „Współpraca”

Turn of the 19th and 20th Century

The traditions of the metal industry in Lublin date back to the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It was then that Lublin became a well-known center for the production of agricultural machinery. These were mainly the factories of M. Wolski and W. Moritz.

Interwar Period (1918-1939)

These traditions continued in the interwar period. Additionally, the Aircraft Factory named Zakłady Mechaniczne E. Plage and T. Laśkiewicz operated in Lublin. In 1935, this company was nationalized and became the Lublin Aircraft Factory. A large group of specialists: locksmiths, turners, millers, in short, „metal workers,” worked in the aforementioned factories.

World War II

During World War II, the above-mentioned factories ceased or limited their operations. For example, the Lublin Aircraft Factory was bombed. Many Lublin metal workers became unemployed.

Post-War Years

In July 1944, Lublin was occupied by the Red Army. The Polish Committee of National Liberation began operations in the city. Lublin was rising from the war ruins. The rebuilding country needed almost everything, including specialists. The former metal factories in Lublin were often destroyed, and the owners and management often left the city. There was also a lack of capital.

Cooperative Movement

The new post-war authorities of Poland were reluctant towards private economic initiatives. However, the matter of cooperatives was entirely different. This form of enterprise organization was already popular in the interwar period, also developed during the war, and experienced a great boom during the People’s Republic of Poland. Cooperatives could count on the allocation of properties, machines, and equipment, as well as all tax reliefs.

Establishment of the Cooperative „Współpraca”

The chronicle of the Cooperative „Współpraca” reads: As soon as the guns fell silent and the front moved from the Lublin region to Warsaw in 1944, several metal craftsmen (…) decided to form a Cooperative. The first meeting in a private apartment on a November day became legendary. It was described in several accounts. According to them, there were 10 founders, 8 of whom worked before the war at the Lublin Aircraft Factory.

On November 29, 1944, the Cooperative „Współpraca” was registered in the Register of Cooperatives of the District Court in Lublin and soon began its operations. The primary problem was the location for the activity. The city authorities allocated the former Jewish synagogue at 9 Bychawska Street (now W. Kunickiego 9) to the new Cooperative. The building was in ruins.

Activities of the Cooperative

According to accounts, the cooperatives themselves renovated the building and brought their own tools. It quickly became apparent that there was a very high demand for the services of the Cooperative „Współpraca.” The Cooperative was involved in repairing military equipment. Agricultural machines were also produced: threshers, treadmills, choppers. The Cooperative’s employees also helped in starting up mills and sawmills destroyed by the war. Over time, the production of spare parts for the textile industry also began.

Challenging Beginnings

The oldest employees recalled the challenging beginnings of the Cooperative’s activities. The premises (more appropriately called „cells”) belonging to the Cooperative were scattered around the city. In the middle of the production hall stood a coal stove – a goat warming the room, in the corner there was a bucket of water to wash hands, above there was a light bulb giving little light.

Planned Economy

In the early post-war years, there was officially economic freedom – following the example of pre-war Poland. However, cooperatives and state enterprises were promoted even then. Changes came quite quickly. In January 1946, the main branches of the economy were nationalized. In the following years, more enterprises were gradually taken over, even without a legal basis. The former class of industrialists, merchants, and financiers was largely dispersed. Many enterprises had to be taken over by the state due to the lack of heirs. However, in cases where the owners fortunately survived the war, they often could not enjoy their often-devastated companies for long. By the 1950s, the takeover of private enterprises continued. Every larger company was nationalized, and assets were incorporated into cooperative and private ones. In the following years, almost the entire economy was taken over by the state, which began a planned economy. Cooperatives were tolerated and even promoted.

Space Issues

A major problem for the Cooperative „Współpraca” was the lack of suitable premises for production purposes. The above-mentioned premises at 9 Kunickiego Street were taken away from the cooperatives and reassigned for religious purposes (currently, there is the Polish Catholic Church). In the 1950s and 1960s, the cooperatives occupied several premises, mainly at Kunickiego Street (7, 40, 55). Not all production halls were adapted for this type of activity. The fragmentation of the enterprise was not conducive to efficiency.

Success of the Cooperative

At least several dozen cooperatives of various types were established in the Lublin region in the post-war period. Not all were successful. Our Cooperative succeeded. Probably the key to success was the professionalism of the staff, a wide range of services, reaching beyond the local market, and finding its own market niche.

Products of the Cooperative

The Chronicle of the Cooperative preserved photos of the company’s products from the 1950s. These were spare parts for the textile industry, bearing pullers, car grease guns, and above all, hydraulic jacks. The latter turned out to be a production hit and a hallmark to this day.

1980s – Difficult Times

As Andrzej Bogdanowicz (who started working at the Cooperative „Współpraca” in 1986) recalls, the late 1980s were quite tough. There were fewer and fewer orders, and we tried to survive. No one was talking about staff reduction yet. Products were still being shipped to Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. Cooperation also existed with the company „Glinik,” which exported to the USSR. This company provided a set of machines for boring with cylinder rolling. All this resulted from old contacts within the framework of the community of socialist states. However, it was known that these contacts might end over time.

International Cooperation and Quality Problems

Opportunities for contacts with companies from Germany or the Netherlands were already emerging, but the quality of „Współpraca” products and the language barrier stood in the way. President Bogdanowicz recalls that when contractors from Western Europe arrived, the mandatory Polish intermediary – the company „Polmot” – sent its translator, who distorted the statements, translated „as he wanted,” and the result of these contacts was poor. Despite these difficulties, it was possible to establish contact with the Dutch entrepreneur Mr. de Frisch, who had family contacts with Poland and ordered 5 jacks for trial. The Dutchman had comments on the quality of „Współpraca” products but ordered small quantities, which could not save the Cooperative „Współpraca.” Domestic orders were also low. Problems began to accumulate, influenced by the general economic crisis of Poland at that time.

Staff and Economic Changes

President Stefan Kuszta knew that changes were needed and inevitable. Already in the second half of the 1980s, people began to leave the company, initially voluntarily. This process accelerated at the turn of 1989 and 1990. It was painful but necessary. In total, the staff was reduced by 30 people. Those who had other sources of income in the family (pensions, retirement benefits, working spouse, farm) left.

The 1990s – A New Market Reality

The 1990s were a time of free market economy. The Cooperative „Współpraca” had to face competition from around the world. The main product was still car jacks. Strong competition from China appeared, but their products were of extremely poor quality. After the necessary staff reduction, the Cooperative „Współpraca” could start a new phase of activity and handled the free market quite well. From a few to a dozen percent of the products were directed to the domestic market. The main contractors were now in Western Europe, which gave the Cooperative a fairly stable opportunity for development.

International Cooperation

Vice President Bogdanowicz attended international fairs, knew technical English, and his technical education allowed him to establish good relationships with Western contractors. In 1991, the company Janssen from Germany became a major client. After modernization and the introduction of new types of jacks, it was possible to significantly develop cooperation with Mr. de Frisch’s company from the Netherlands, which ordered large quantities of jacks, and long-term contracts were signed. The Cooperative „Współpraca” built new warehouse halls at the back of the then headquarters. Land swaps with the City Hall were carried out, and even a railway siding was built. It was a period of stabilization for the staff and finances of the Cooperative.

Ownership Transformations

The ownership form – the cooperative – was quite anachronistic in the new times and stood in the way of the enterprise’s development. In 1998, long-time president Stefan Kuszta left, replaced by the then vice president Andrzej Bogdanowicz. During his tenure, in 1999, the Cooperative „Współpraca” underwent transformation (liquidation, privatization), and the new „Współpraca” Spółka z o.o. was established. President Bogdanowicz recalls that it was a very complicated process that cost him a lot of health. All cooperative members agreed to the ownership change. Everyone received one share in the new company and a job guarantee. The new company had 45 shareholders (former cooperators). However, it was necessary to pay off former (retired) members of the Cooperative „Współpraca.” To this end, part of the land with halls in the area of Gospodarcza and Mełgiewska Streets was sold (today, among others, the company „Kępa Auto Centrum” is located there).

A New Phase of Activity

Since 1999, „Współpraca” Sp. z o.o. started a new phase of activity. It relied on orders from the Netherlands and Germany, ensuring a fairly stable situation. In 2019, long-time president Andrzej Bogdanowicz left his job. During this period, the search for an investor began. Many employees were already of retirement age. The purchase of shares by a new investor was in the interest of the employees. This investor was supposed to be the Higher School of Economics and Innovation, but it did not receive the necessary funds for this purpose.

Current Situation and Future

In 2022, a new investor appeared. The general meeting decided to change the owner of „Współpraca.” The new owner moved the company to a new headquarters at Zemborzycka Street. The old headquarters (since the 1960s) was sold. Currently, the main contractors of the „Współpraca” company are still clients from Western Europe, mainly from Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. Most of these contacts were established in the 1980s and 1990s. Recently, the percentage share of the Polish market has increased.

In the autumn of 2024, „Współpraca” celebrates its 80th anniversary on the market.