In 1932, the renowned French manufacturer of paints and varnishes La Société des Vernis Pyrolac established an internal division named Pyral (a name derived from the Greek *pyr*-"fire" and *al*-"aluminum") specifically to develop and manufacture aluminum discs coated with nitrocellulose lacquer.
In 1934, Pyral developed lacquer disc technology - an aluminum disc with a lacquer coating, known as a "lacquer disc" or "acetate."
It was in 1946 that the division fully separated from its parent paint and varnish factory, Pyrolac, and incorporated as an independent legal entity (initially Pyral S.A.R.L., later Pyral S.A.). Following this move to independence, the company expanded its operations and shifted into the production of magnetic tape.
Leveraging the expertise in coatings and materials it had already acquired, the company moved on to develop the next generation of media: magnetic tape. In the years that followed, production expanded to include perforated magnetic film and compact audio cassettes.
In effect, Pyral transferred its core competency - the development of coating formulations and the controlled application of functional layers - from one sound recording technology to another.
During the 1970s, Pyral manufactured studio magnetic tape, magnetic sound film, and other professional media products.
In a 1977 issue of the British magazine *Wireless World*, the Pyral C90 was compared with the Philips Standard C90, Memorex MRX2, and BASF Super LH; the tests demonstrated the Pyral tape's impressive output characteristics.
In 1973, the company acquired Rhône-Poulenc; however, Pyral tapes remained less popular than those from major brands, and their distribution was largely limited to Europe and, to a lesser extent, Canada. Rhône-Poulenc was nationalized in 1981, leading to the closure of its German and British subsidiaries.
By 1977, Pyral Magnetics had established itself as one of Europe's largest manufacturers of magnetic tape and discs.
After the 1970s, Pyral continued to develop magnetic materials, but its primary focus gradually shifted from consumer audio products to specialized media - with the production of perforated magnetic film for film and television becoming particularly significant. Nevertheless, the company did not finally cease production of its traditional lacquer discs until 1987.
A significant manufacturing relocation took place in 1985: the Pyral facility left its historic site in Créteil and moved to Avranches, Normandy. This plant subsequently became pivotal to Pyral’s future and has, in fact, remained a center for French magnetic tape production to this day. In 1990, Pyral S.A. was acquired by the Bayer Group, which already owned the BASF tape brand. Then, in 1991, Bayer acquired Agfa’s magnetic media business, merging the operations into BASF Magnetics France. Thus, Pyral’s specialized technologies were integrated into BASF’s larger magnetic media division.
In 2001, the French entity EMTEC Magnetics France was reorganized as Pyral SAS. Effectively, the Pyral name returned as an independent corporate identity within a magnetic media business structure that had undergone significant changes. In 2004, Pyral fully separated from EMTEC and was acquired by the Swiss group Panachem SA, becoming an independent company. Its primary focus was specialized magnetic media - specifically, perforated magnetic film for the film and television industries. Pyral also manufactured magnetic dispersions and materials used, for instance, in the magnetic stripes of bank cards and other types of cards. As of 2007, perforated magnetic film for film production remained one of the company's core products. In 2012, Pyral acquired Recording Media Group International (RMGI). RMGI’s equipment was relocated from the Netherlands to Avranches, where Pyral constructed a new production facility to house it. The investment totaled approximately €2.5 million, and the launch of production was delayed by about six months. Consequently, the financial burden proved too heavy, and the company was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2013 due to the production delays.
In 2015, Pyral was acquired by the French company Mulann Industries, resumed the production of audio cassettes under the RecordingTheMasters (RTM) brand. In 2021, Mulann Industries was acquired by the French company RTM Industries, which is owned by the British investment group Bridford Group.