COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 325188

All Other Basic Inorganic Chemicals Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

29companies1863–1997founding years29still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedYule Catto & Company plc
1863
FoundedLinde AG
1879
FoundedBurmah Castrol PLC
1886
FoundedJohnson Matthey PLC
1891
FoundedW.R. Grace & Company
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedElementis plc
1908
FoundedInternational Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
1909
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedInco Limited
1916
FoundedKemira Oyj
1920
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedNOF Corporation
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedThe Dow Chemical Company
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedMississippi Chemical Corporation
1948
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedDevro plc
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSolvay S.A.
1967
FoundedViskase Companies, Inc.
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSaudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedThe Carbide/Graphite Group, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedAlbemarle Corporation
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Yule Catto & Company plc →
Active · founded 1863 · United Kingdom
Yule Catto & Company plc is one of Europe's leading specialty chemicals groups.
Linde AG →
Active · founded 1879 · Germany
Linde AG, an international technology company, operates in two business segments: Gas and Engineering and Materials…
Perstorp AB →
Active · founded 1881 · Sweden
Perstorp AB operates as a specialty chemicals group focusing on polyalcohols, which are used in the production of…
Burmah Castrol PLC →
Active · founded 1886 · United Kingdom
Originally known as The Burmah Oil Company Ltd., Burmah Castrol PLC is the oldest oil enterprise in the United Kingdom.
Johnson Matthey PLC →
Active · founded 1891 · United Kingdom
Johnson Matthey PLC has been involved in the processing and marketing of precious metals since its founding in 1817.
Firmenich International S.A. →
Active · founded 1895 · Switzerland
A major development for the group's Flavors division came in 2001, when the company began development on a new,…
W.R. Grace & Company →
Active · founded 1899
W.R.
Asahi Glass Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Asahi Glass Company, Ltd.
Elementis plc →
Active · founded 1908 · United Kingdom
Specialty chemicals producer Elementis plc holds world-leading positions in three areas: chromium chemicals, which are…
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. →
Active · founded 1909
Mid-1920s:Van Ameringen persuades makers of bar soaps and detergents to add fragrances to their products.
Wacker-Chemie GmbH →
Active · founded 1914 · Germany
Wacker-Chemie GmbH is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of specialty chemicals.
Inco Limited →
Active · founded 1916 · Canada
Inco Limited is one of the world's top producers of nickel.
Kemira Oyj →
Active · founded 1920 · Finland
Finland's Kemira Oyj is a leading industrial chemicals manufacturer focused on four primary areas: Paints and Coatings;…
Tosoh Corporation →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
Tosoh Corporation is one of Japan's leading manufacturers of industrial and specialty chemicals.
NOF Corporation →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
NOF Corporation is Japan's leading oleochemicals group, producing a highly diversified range of products derived from…
Engelhard Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Engelhard Corporation is a leading supplier of catalysts used in the petroleum, chemical, and food industries.
The Dow Chemical Company →
Active · founded 1947
To say that The Dow Chemical Company is a very large chemical company is an understatement.
Mississippi Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1948
Although it was originally formed as a farmers' cooperative, Mississippi Chemical Corporation is now a multi-million…
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1949 · Japan
Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Devro plc →
Active · founded 1960 · United Kingdom
Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Devro plc is the world's largest supplier of collagen products to the food industry.
Solvay S.A. →
Active · founded 1967 · Belgium
The wide ranging activities of the Belgium chemical firm Solvay S.A.
Israel Chemicals Ltd. →
Active · founded 1968 · Israel
Israel Chemicals Ltd.
Viskase Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Viskase Companies, Inc.
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation →
Active · founded 1975
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation is a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of a wide range of biochemicals, organic…
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) →
Active · founded 1976 · Saudi Arabia
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, or SABIC, is one of the world's leading petrochemicals companies.
The Carbide/Graphite Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
The Carbide/Graphite Group, Inc.
Minerals Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Minerals Technologies Inc.
Albemarle Corporation →
Active · founded 1994
During the late 1990s, there were several significant acquisitions completed and one daring bid at expansion that…
Equistar Chemicals, LP →
Active · founded 1997
A subsidiary of Lyondell Chemical Company, Equistar Chemicals, LP is a Houston-based manufacturer of petrochemicals and…
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