Orbis's is a business and family history, which, like so many stories from Argentine industries, began with their origins abroad. In this case, in Dresden, Germany, with the grandfather of Daphne Mettig - Feldmann, the current president of Orbis.

Roberto Mertig was destined to inherit the family bakery, when his brother returned convalescent after fighting in World War I. The postwar crisis and high inflation made the family business not enough to live two families, and adding their restless spirit decided to look for new horizons in South America. He had the consent of his father, but with one condition: to choose a city with a port, which would turn out to be Buenos Aires.

Door kitchens
The good relations with the manufacturer of the senking furnaces, which were used in the dresden bakery, opened the doors to Roberto Mertig to try to sell those products in Argentina in the year 1921. At the beginning it would be house by house, while gradually achieving his way. It had an advantage: the quality and price of those kitchens ensured subsistence.
His entrepreneurial spirit led him to expand the range interested in a sanitary water heater that at the end of the 19th century had been patented in Germany by the Junkers company. In 1926 he established treatment to bring that product to Argentina. I was going to achieve it, negotiating that the sale of the heater would enable him if he also agreed to sell the planes, since Junkers, in reality, was an aeronautical company. Thus, Roberto Mertig managed to develop his business.

Workshop attended by its owner
"By 1931, our grandfather had already established a small workshop on Peru Street, where he assembled the heating of sanitary water and kitchens and used it as a deposit," today Daphne Mettig-Feldmann, remembering the first solid foundations of Orbis. The first offices were located on Callao 53 street, in the center of Buenos Aires, with its first sales and commercial hall. The way oriented to develop an industrial process that would have several stages, such as the production of wood -fed economic kitchens as a complement to carbon gas, essential fuel until the mid -40s, when the development of household gas began. At this point, Roberto Mertig takes another fundamental step incorporating its use, so much so that the company has registration 001 granted by state gas.

But we return to Roberto Mertig, when he was about to undertake a new move from the industrial plant, this time to Serrano Street, always in the city of Buenos Aires, to a 4200 square meter ship that complemented other minor spaces by shoring its growth. "Our grandfather's entrepreneurial spirit made him create a very flexible company to changes," continues Daphne. "One of them was to go from an energy matrix such as carbon gas to propane and natural gas. We are a company that provides environmental comfort through its sanitary hot water lines, heating and cooking, with gas, electric and solar artifacts and this comes from that wide concept with which everything began."

Villa Adelina at La Vista
In 1948 Orbis takes another important step when buying the property where its main floor has, in Villa Adelina, San Isidro party, when the area was not yet fully urbanized. Together with that purchase, annexed lots were acquired where employees were collaborated to have their own home. The initial construction of the industrial plant began in 1957 and the inauguration was carried out in 1958, although the administrative, sales and commercial area remained in the capital until the mid -70s, when all areas were unified in the same property.

Due to the need for industrial expansion, and accompanying in 1987 the industrial promotion of the province of San Luis, Federico Mertig, son of Roberto and president of the company from 1970 to 2013, decided the installation of a plant in the town of Fraga, which had different extensions and an excellent level of equipment for the manufacture of some lines of its products.

New brands and markets
At the end of the 90s, Orbis incorporates the Volcano brand, developing new products for it and expanding its sale. New production lines and sales structures were created and the Gaselec brand was later acquired, which has a line of own products.

"For those same years, work began in Brazil, where in spite of some initial difficulties the business planned for that country was developed," says Daphne. "Likewise, in Chile we have commercial offices by developing the Orbis brand for this market and we are proud to be present with our products in most Latin American countries."

The present
Orbis continues to be a family business, currently in the third generation and two daughters in the fourth who can continue with this tradition.
The management is composed of a professional directory and shareholders. In the Orbis group approximately 800 people work, many of whom have seen their parents and grandparents work in the same company.
That entrepreneurial and family vision of the beginnings is maintained and reflected both in the investments, which they permanently carry out to sustain the levels of quality and safety of the products, and to incorporate new technology.

Don Roberto Mertig is still
The talk with Daphne, at the head of the company since 2013, has been on the number of people who worked for decades in the company almost as part of the family and, especially, in grandfather Roberto, not only because he put the fundamental stone, but because he always had the social sense of life and work. He mentions, for example, that in 1941, before having his own home he built a vacation home where the company's staff is still going on rest.

The present generations continue to retain the ethical, work and business development principles, continuing that path and always ensuring the well -being of their collaborators, to continue facing the new challenges together.