Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. was established within the frame of the investment initiative known as the Central Industrial Region (COP). An official opening of the newly built the Southern Works, Stalowa Wola, was done in June 1939, by President Ignacy Mościcki. The first HSW – branded products were noble steel, guns and agricultural equipment.  

The sixties and the seventies
The production capabilities of Huta Stalowa Wola had been developed from the beginning of its establishment.  On the turn of the 60s and the 70s, the company backed construction equipment, which was a completely new branch of the Polish industry.  Thanks to the cooperation with a number of British, American and German companies, HSW gained access to the most recent know-how including the production technology for crawler dozers and wheel loaders.

The eighties
Throughout the 80s, HSW became the premier manufacturer of military equipment including artillery and armored tracked carriers, as well as quality steel for the needs of nearly entire defense industry of Poland.  

The nineties
The 90s appeared to be the time of restructuring, reorganization, strengthening of the production profile, and searching for the paths leading to a better quality and competitiveness, as well as a decrease in manufacturing costs.  The activities aimed at continual quality improvement resulted in the implementation of the ISO 9002 quality system.  Accordingly, on July 15th, 1991, within the framework of the privatization process, HSW Kombi-Bloc was transformed into HSW S.A., i.e. a commercial partnership – sole-shareholder company of the State Treasury.  The previous organizational structure of HSW changed into the form characteristic of a capital group consisting of a dominant unit and subsidiary companies.

21st century
Due to its restructuring process, HSW S.A. has become Poland’s premier manufacturer of construction machines. Additionally, a many years’ experience in the area of the military equipment production has made HSW S.A. the leading manufacturer of the domestic defense industry.  

The HSW S.A. restructuring is a continual process.  Since the company operates in a changeable environment, it needs to develop its abilities to adopt to changes and it has to be a flexible organization able to cope with the new challenges laying ahead.  The machines are marketed under the HSW brand in the home market and the Dressta brand in foreign markets.