Industrialist Louis De Naeyer was born in 1827. In 1851, he established a business in rags, the basic material for papermaking. In late 1860, he applied to the municipal authorities for permission to build a paper factory with two steam engines on a plot of land along a canal. The factory would produce paper dough, using straw as its raw material. This straw would be transported by ship from the Netherlands, via the canal. De Naeyer was perhaps already aware of the plans for the construction of the "iron road," which opened in 1868 and ran past his factory site in Willebroek.

Soon, 8 tons of paper dough were being produced per day. A workday lasted approximately 12 to 14 hours, for both men and women. De Naeyer had houses built for his workers and established day and evening schools. In addition to the ever-expanding factory, he also built a bakery, a daycare center, and a library for the factory workers.

Around 1875, the paper mill produced approximately 40 tons of paper dough daily, but the war between France and Germany caused a straw shortage. Therefore, De Naeyer began experimenting with softwood. The wood fibers were boiled in a solution of calcium and bisulfite to make paper dough.