COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 325199

All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufac-turing

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

17companies1850–2000founding years17still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedRobertet SA
1850
FoundedSensient Technologies Corporation
1882
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedInternational Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
1909
FoundedWacker-Chemie GmbH
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAshland Inc.FoundedTotal Fina Elf S.A.
1924
FoundedMerck & Co., Inc.
1927
FoundedStepan CompanyFoundedThe Lubrizol Corporation
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedCelanese Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.
1944
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSolvay S.A.
1967
FoundedRAG AG
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedSigma-Aldrich Corporation
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedPenford Corporation
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
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.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedFortum Corporation
1998
FoundedCrompton Corporation
1999
FoundedMerisant Worldwide, Inc.
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

Robertet SA →
Active · founded 1850 · France
Robertet SA is one of the world's top ten developers of flavor and perfume additives and ingredients.
Sensient Technologies Corporation →
Active · founded 1882
Early 1970s:[fsps*2.5]Company expands into soft-drink bottling.
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.
Ashland Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Ashland Inc.
Total Fina Elf S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
1954/55:Trademark "Total" is created and registered.
Merck & Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Merck & Co., Inc.
Stepan Company →
Active · founded 1928
Stepan Company has carved out a highly specific niche market for itself by producing and supplying specialty and…
The Lubrizol Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
The Lubrizol Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of performance chemicals, including specialty…
Celanese Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1944 · Mexico
Celanese Mexicana, S.A.
Solvay S.A. →
Active · founded 1967 · Belgium
The wide ranging activities of the Belgium chemical firm Solvay S.A.
RAG AG →
Active · founded 1968 · Germany
RAG AG is one of the world's leading hard coal producers and Germany's number one coal producer.
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation →
Active · founded 1975
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation is a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of a wide range of biochemicals, organic…
Penford Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Penford Corporation develops, produces, and markets specialty natural-based ingredients for industrial and food…
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
Crompton Corporation →
Active · founded 1999
Crompton Corporation is a specialty chemical manufacturer whose main operations involve the creation of additives,…
Merisant Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 2000
Merisant Worldwide, Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, is a privately-held company that markets more than 20 brands of…
Build It Today

Starting a all other basic organic chemical manufac-turing company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.