Jewish entrepreneur Julius Pfungst founded Naxos Union in 1871. On October 15, 1871, the right to prospect and produce abrasives was transferred to the newly founded company “Society of the real Naxos emery.”  This gave the company the sole right to extract the emery sand that occurs naturally on the island of Naxos in the Greek Aegean. The company processed this emery into grinding tools and began producing the latter in 1880, which rang in the start of the company's decades of economic success.

After the death of Julius Pfungst in 1899, his son Arthur continued to run the company. With Arthur’s death, the company assets were transferred to a foundation, which then became the owner of Naxos Union with around 700 employees. Marie Pfungst, a daughter of the company founder, headed the “Dr. Arthur Pfungst Foundation,” an important Jewish foundation in Frankfurt that is still in existence today (for the promotion of popular education, library, kindergarten for working mothers, and retirement homes – regardless of religious affiliation). In 1936, the Nazi regime forced Ms. Pfungst to resign from the foundation. At almost 80 years of age at the end of 1942, a seriously ill and frail Mr. Pfungst was deported to Theresienstadt. She did not survive the camp. 

• October 15, 1871 – Company formation
• 1900 – Start the production of grinding tools made of artificial corundum
• 1905 – Production of the first ceramic bonded grinding wheel for crankshaft machining with a diameter of 1,500 mm
• 1910 – Production of synthetic resin and rubber-bonded grinding wheels
• 1950 – Diamonds and cubic boron nitride (CBN) become an important part of the company’s R&D work
• 1978 – Production of the first CBN grinding wheel with a ceramic bond
• 1987 – Start of construction of the new production facility in Butzbach
• 2005 – Integration into the DVS TECHNOLOGY GROUP

As one of the most important Western European manufacturers of innovative, grinding technology products with an outer diameter range from 350–1,650 mm, NAXOS-DISKUS is the expert for all types of grinding wheels in the modular technology of the DVS TECHNOLOGY GROUP.

The abrasives factory in Butzbach now spans a production area of around 12,000 sqm. With the company’s extensive production program, the modern production facilities, and around 145 highly qualified and dedicated staff, the tradition-rich, medium-sized, and successful company is perfectly positioned for the challenges of the future.