The Lenzing Group is an international group with its headquarters in Lenzing, Austria, and production sites in all major markets. Lenzing produces wood-based viscose fibers, modal fibers, lyocell fibers and filament yarn, which are used in the textile industry - in clothing, home textiles and technical textiles - as well as in the nonwovens industry. In addition, the company is active in mechanical and plant engineering. The Lenzing Group markets its products under the brand names TENCEL, VEOCEL, LENZING ECOVERO and LENZING. History The company initially focused solely on fiber production, but it needed plastic wrappings for its fiber bales, so Lenzing Plastics was founded to produce them. The plastics division is still active, making 11.7% of total sales in 2009. The company's history goes back to 1892 when Emil Hamburger, an industrialist, operated a paper mill in Lenzing, Austria. In 1935/36, the share majority was acquired by the Bunzl family and the company was affiliated to the Bunzl & Biach AG circle of interests, Vienna. The company was expanded and modernized. Nazi era After the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich in the Anschluss of 1938, Zellwolle Lenzing AG was founded in Lenzing by Thüringische Zellwolle AG, Schwarza/Saale, with Austrian industry subscribing to 50% of the share capital. At the beginning of July, construction of a new rayon factory was started in Lenzing. Production started in September 1939. The general director was the Nazi multifunctional SS brigadier Walther Schieber. The Bunzl Group was aryanized by the Oesterreichische Kontrollbank für Industrie und Handel, the Lenzinger Papierfabrik-Aktiengesellschaft, renamed Lenzinger Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik AG in 1939, was merged into the company in 1940. The merged company was renamed Lenzinger Zellwolle- und Papierfabrik Aktiengesellschaft. In order to remedy the labor shortage caused by the ongoing call-ups for military service, forced laborers were soon employed. Three camps were set up on the site of the disused Pettighofen paper mill on the Agerstrasse. The "civilian labor camp" (Wohnlager 505) housed people from more than 17 nations. The "Russian barracks" were set up for Russian prisoners of war. Finally, a detachment of the Mauthausen concentration camp was set up in order to be able to use female concentration camp prisoners. The first women arrived at Lenzing from Mauthausen on November 3, 1944, and in January 1945 the number peaked at 565 women. The camp was liberated by the 3rd U.S. Army on May 8, 1945,