COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 325998

All Other Miscellaneous Chemical Product Manufacturing

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

36companies1806–1999founding years36still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedColgate-Palmolive Company
1806
FoundedBurmah Castrol PLC
1886
FoundedW.R. Grace & Company
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedElementis plc
1908
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAsahi Denka Kogyo KKFoundedSwedish Match AB
1917
FoundedEnglish China Clays Ltd.
1919
FoundedOccidental Petroleum Corporation
1920
FoundedSequa Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedNOF Corporation
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedGrupo Cydsa, S.A. de C.V.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedMitsubishi Chemical Corporation
1950
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSoft Sheen Products, Inc.
1964
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedBush Boake Allen Inc.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedCelgene Corporation
1986
FoundedRHI AG
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.
FoundedAstraZeneca PLCFoundedCrompton Corporation
1999
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

Colgate-Palmolive Company →
Active · founded 1806
Colgate-Palmolive Company's growth from a small candle and soap manufacturer to one of the most powerful consumer…
Wella AG →
Active · founded 1880 · Germany
Wella AG operates as one of the world's top cosmetic suppliers with brands found in over 150 countries.
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.
H.B. Fuller Company →
Active · founded 1887
A top performer among specialty chemicals firms, H.B.
W.R. Grace & Company →
Active · founded 1899
W.R.
DSM N.V. →
Active · founded 1902 · The Netherlands
DSM N.V.
Elementis plc →
Active · founded 1908 · United Kingdom
Specialty chemicals producer Elementis plc holds world-leading positions in three areas: chromium chemicals, which are…
Hercules Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
Hercules Inc.
Asahi Denka Kogyo KK →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
Asahi Denka Kogyo KK (the company uses Asahi Denka Co.
Kikkoman Corporation →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
Kikkoman Corporation is the world's largest and most famous producer of soy sauce.
Swedish Match AB →
Active · founded 1917 · Sweden
Based in Stockholm, Swedish Match AB is the leading global manufacturer of matches and the third-largest manufacturer…
Universal Corporation →
Active · founded 1918
Universal Corporation, known until 1987 as Universal Leaf Tobacco Company Inc., operates as the world's largest buyer…
English China Clays Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · United Kingdom
English China Clays Ltd.
Ferro Corporation →
Active · founded 1919
Ferro Corporation is a leading worldwide producer of coatings and performance chemicals used in the electronics,…
Occidental Petroleum Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
Occidental Petroleum Corporation, an oil and gas and chemicals company, conducts its business through two major…
Total Fina Elf S.A. →
Active · founded 1924 · France
1954/55:Trademark "Total" is created and registered.
Sequa Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
Sequa Corporation is a diversified industrial company that produces a broad range of aerospace products, printing and…
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…
Smith International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1937
Smith International, Inc.
Grupo Cydsa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1945 · Mexico
Grupo Cydsa, S.A.
Mississippi Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1948
Although it was originally formed as a farmers' cooperative, Mississippi Chemical Corporation is now a multi-million…
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) was formed by the 1994 merger of Mitsubishi Kasei Corp.
Carson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Carson, Inc.
Soft Sheen Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Soft Sheen Products Inc.
B.J. Alan Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
B.J.
Bush Boake Allen Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Bush Boake Allen Inc.
Dynaction S.A. →
Active · founded 1982 · France
Once a model "mini-conglomerate," Dynaction S.A.
Celgene Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Celgene Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and marketing therapies to treat leprosy,…
Baker Hughes Incorporated →
Active · founded 1987
Baker Hughes Incorporated is the product of the 1987 merger of two oilfield-services companies with surprisingly…
RHI AG →
Active · founded 1987 · Austria
RHI AG is the world's top manufacturer of heat-resistant refractory products, with a global market share of some 15…
Ridley Corporation Ltd. →
Active · founded 1987 · Australia
Ridley Corporation Ltd.
AstraZeneca PLC →
Active · founded 1999 · United Kingdom
AstraZeneca PLC is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies.
Avecia Group PLC →
Active · founded 1999 · United Kingdom
Avecia Group PLC is in the process of redefining itself as a focused specialty and fine chemicals group.
Crompton Corporation →
Active · founded 1999
Crompton Corporation is a specialty chemical manufacturer whose main operations involve the creation of additives,…
OMNOVA Solutions Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
For 1999, in the midst of the spinoff from GenCorp, OMNOVA recorded solid improvements over the previous year.
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