At the end of nineteen century, Warsaw, the capital city of the then Kingdom of Poland, became an important location on the trade route, connecting Russia with Western Europe. It was a period of very rapid expansion of the city; many new companies and factories, involved in machine tool manufacture and metal working, were established.

    On July 15, 1898, a group of Varsavian industrialists were permitted to establish a joint stock company under the style "Towarzystwo Maszyn Gerlach i Pulst". This date is regarded as the beginning of over a hundred-year history of the present "VIS" Spółka z o.o.

    Great demand for machine tools from the rapidly expanding metal-working industry and thereby growing orders resulted in the decision of the board to extend and to move, the very same year, the factory from ul. Srebrna to ul. Dworska (now ul. Kasprzaka 29).

    A year later, a new production plant, the most modern in Warsaw, was commissioned to manufacture heavy machinery ( mainly machine tools), steam and friction hammers, hydraulic presses and also complete equipment of workshops and steel and iron works.

    Gigantic machines, weighing more than 100 tonnes, were made to special order. A high speed lathe for machining locomotive wheel axles and frames was highly appreciated. At that time it was the most productive machine of the type in Europe.

    Following the extension in 1908, the factory was one of the most modern on the continent and its products were well known throughout he world.

    The First World War put a dramatic stop to the expansion of the factory. In 1915, almost all the machinery and equipment were shipped to Kharkov and workers were evacuated. In the abandoned buildings the Germans set up a weapon repair workshop.

    In November 1918, the former "Gerlach and Pulst" factory was recovered and its reconstruction commenced.

    The authorities of the now independent Poland decided on commissioning production of weapons there. It was the only location in Poland where military production could have been undertaken.

    Following nationalisation, the factory became a part of Państwowa Fabryka Uzbrojenia as "Państwowa Fabryka Karabinów" (State Rifle Factory).

    In nineteen twenties a number of infantry rifle types were manufactured and machine gun production became a speciality. In the factory, the design of VIS automatic pistol wad developed. In terms of accuracy of fire and quality it surpassed all pistols then in production by world best manufacturers.

    By 1938, production of then 20 types of weapons was commissioned, developed by in-house engineering department.

    In nineteen-thirties, civilian production was also begun. Very good "FK" typewriters were manufactured under French licence and, in small numbers, machine tools and tools.