Our company
Using the technology of the toy balls previously introduced and still in production, a new generation of sports balls for young players has been developed in Szarvas, Hungary. Plasto Ball® Kft. was established in 1992 from its parent company that had been active in the plastics industry for 65 years. Since then it has worked in its Szarvas factory selling its products in Hungary and many European countries.
Using modern rotation technologies, Plasto Ball® Kft. manufactures sports balls that are uniquely suited for both indoor and outdoor use. They have excellent characteristics in terms of dimensional stability, inflatability, water and wear resistance, and have an optimal bounce. Our products are made of KOGELAN®, a plastic material developed specifically for sporting purposes. Plasto Ball®Kft.’s KOGELAN® balls are perfect alternatives to stitched leather and artificial leather balls that are more expensive and quickly wear out.
Who are we?
Plasto Ball Kft., a spin-off from a company that has been manufacturing various plastic products for about 60 years, was established in 1992 and its main profile is the production of various toy and sports balls using the most advanced rotational moulding technology.
In addition to the well-known toy balls (made of special KOGELAN plastic soft materials developed about 20 years ago), our company produces sports balls in 3 different product groups:
- KOGELAN HARD balls: refined alternatives to traditional sewn balls,
- – the other two: KOGELAN Supersoft and KOGELAN Hypersoft balls are mainly used for children’s sports and other special purposes. Owing to their special, flexible material, children play with the ball without fear, and the pain felt on impact is alleviated by the material of the ball. (The use of these products is growing in the demanding markets of Western Europe.)
This all means a whole new generation of balls has been brought to life in our company, and the growth continues.
Professional expansion
In addition to the increase in commercial turnover, KOGELAN sports balls have very quickly gained recognition in the professional segment as well. The most important facts to mention about the professional success of Kogelan footballs are as follows:
- back in 2002, Goliát McDonald’s FC, which runs football sessions for children in grades 1 to 6, identified two types of football for the training program in the “Góliát Code”: “Kogelan and leather balls”.
- Later (26 February 2016), the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) stated the following with regard to the three types of Kogelan football used for children’s football: “in the OTP Bank Bozsik programme, this product group currently accounts for the largest share of footballs”.
The trade volume of our own products is increasing both domestically and for export: to wholesalers, sports stores, sports federations and sports associations.
Since 1951
Our company’s predecessor, a hairdressing cooperative with 14 members, was founded in 1951 by a group of displaced hairdressers in the tough period after the World War II. Initially, they continued their former work in the cooperative to adapt to the times; then, with the leadership of their entrepreneurial chair, they switched to making products (paper bags, boxes and later paper parlour games) and the company was renamed Szarvasi Dobozkészítő és Szolgáltató Szövetkezet (Szarvasi Box Making and Service Cooperative).
While the service part stagnated, the production of goods developed rapidly. In 1964, the founding hairdressers left the cooperative, which became increasingly oriented towards toy production: paper parlour games and various plastic toys began to be produced in increasing quantities. The company was renamed on 1 January 1965: Szarvasi Műanyagfeldolgozó és Játékkészítő Ktsz. (Szarvasi Plastic Processing and Toy Making Cooperative).
In 1965 and 1967, the cooperative hired young chemical engineers. The pace of development accelerated: From 1965 to 1970, sales revenue tripled to HUF 36.6 million and the number of employees increased from 171 to 370; after that, technological developments were enhanced and new profiles were established. The product mix evolved between 1970 and 1980.
These product groups are:
a) Toys for children (mainly plastic toys: e.g. dolls with hair, squeaky dolls, toy balls (the only entity in the country to produce them); also various injection-moulded toys and paper parlour games)
b) Cardboard box production
c) Production of office and promotional articles (folders, diaries, etc.) made of PVC foil
d) Production of PVC cable tapes and cable packaging materials for the Hungarian Cable Works.
Between 1970 and 1990, the membership of the cooperative remained the same, but its sales revenue increased fivefold (HUF 187 million in 1991). The cooperative was renamed Plastolus Ipari Szövetkezet (Plastolus Industrial Cooperative). We became the biggest supplier to the wholesale toy sector (TRIÁL wholesaler for Hungary; KONSUMEX for export).
Developments were carried out by the company using its own resources (without state support) and provided good specialists for Plasto Ball Kft., which split from the cooperative in 1992 with 2 business profiles (production of balls and PVC cable tapes). KOGELAN sport balls were developed and introduced to the world market by this company.
Certifications
Our company has always taken care to ensure that our products meet the quality requirements set out in the relevant standards (and legislation) and the needs of our customers.
Conformity covering all of these requirements is verified by the designated accreditation bodies.
Tüv Rheinland
