Gemerská Nerudná Spoločnosť, a.s.

Gemerská Nerudná Spoločnosť, a.s. (often abbreviated GENES) is a Slovak industrial minerals company based in Rimavská Sobota. It describes itself as the continuation of more than a century of mining and processing traditions at the Mútnik deposit, a site near Hnúšťa where magnesite was first exposed during railway construction around 1872 and where commercial exploitation began around 1880. The company's product range is built on non-metallic raw materials: white talc, technical talc, treated natural bentonite, activated bentonite, treated natural magnesite and other industrial minerals. These materials serve sectors such as refractories, metallurgy, foundry, construction, agriculture and environmental applications, although the company's own homepage focuses on the mineral types rather than end-use markets. GENES is a member of Slovak professional and industry bodies, including the Union of Metallurgy, Mining Industry and Geology of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Mining Society. Its corporate identity is closely tied to the Mútnik deposit, which has been worked under various owners and business entities since the late 19th century. The company operates as a joint-stock company (a.s.) and maintains an official website at genes-as.com. Ownership, exact founding date of the present legal entity, and financial details are not specified in the available evidence.

The history of Gemerská Nerudná Spoločnosť is inseparable from the Mútnik deposit near Hnúšťa in southern Slovakia. In the second half of the 19th century, around 1872, an outcrop of magnesite was discovered in a terrain cut during construction of the Jesenské–Tisovec railway line at Mútnik. Geological exploration followed and identified talc and dolomite as accompanying minerals. Exploitation of the deposit is dated from 1880. The first person believed to have worked the deposit was the entrepreneur Karol Demuth, who mined talc and ground it in a grain mill in Rimavské Brezovo. Around 1910, Dr. Cothar Elbogen operated at the deposit, but currency difficulties following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy forced him to abandon the activity in 1922. Other business entities continued talc mining with varying success. Talc sales in that period were around 500 tonnes per year; by 1944 extraction had risen to roughly 10,000–11,000 tonnes per year, and the workforce ranged from 30 to 231 people. In the early 20th century the magnesite part of the Mútnik deposit was also intensively exploited, with a plant built for magnesite calcination and the production of magnesite refractory bricks, known as Nižná magnezitka. The company today presents itself as the successor to these more than century-old mining and processing traditions. It produces white and technical talc, treated natural and activated bentonite, treated natural magnesite and other industrial minerals. It is a member of the Union of Metallurgy, Mining Industry and Geology of the Slovak Republic and the Slovak Mining Society. The present joint-stock company is based in Rimavská Sobota. The available evidence does not specify the exact date of incorporation of the current legal entity, its ownership structure, or its financial performance.

• 1944

  Talc extraction reaches approximately 10,000–11,000 tonnes per year, with 30 to 231 workers.

• 1922

  Dr. Cothar Elbogen abandons operations due to currency difficulties after the collapse of Austria-Hungary.

• 1910

  Dr. Cothar Elbogen operates at the deposit.

• 1880

  Exploitation of the Mútnik deposit begins, initially by entrepreneur Karol Demuth mining and milling talc.

• 1872

  Magnesite outcrop discovered at Mútnik during construction of the Jesenské–Tisovec railway line.

Traditional Slovak miner and processor of industrial minerals from the Mútnik deposit, focused on talc, bentonite and magnesite.

• White talc

  A white talc product from the Mútnik deposit.

• Technical talc

  Technical-grade talc for industrial applications.

• Treated natural bentonite

  Natural bentonite that has been treated for industrial use.

• Activated bentonite

  Activated bentonite for specialised applications.

• Treated natural magnesite

  Natural magnesite that has been treated for industrial use.

1. 1Domov - GEMERSKÁ NERUDNÁ SPOLOČNOSŤ, A.S.genes-as.com
2. 2Gemerská Nerudná Spoločnosť (Slovakia) - Wikidatawikidata.org