COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2819

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals, Nec.

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

25companies1880–1991founding years25still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedImperial Oil Limited
1880
FoundedMallinckrodt Group Inc.
1882
FoundedIndustrias Penoles, S.A. de C.V.
1887
FoundedNL Industries, Inc.
1891
FoundedRhône-Poulenc S.A.
1895
FoundedThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedE.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company
1915
FoundedAlliedSignal Inc.
1920
FoundedFMC CorporationFoundedNalco Chemical Corporation
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedGreat Lakes Chemical Corporation
1933
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedHach Co.
1951
FoundedTosco Corporation
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMontedison S.p.A.
1966
FoundedMelamine Chemicals, Inc.
1968
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.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedGaylord Container Corporation
1986
FoundedARCO Chemical Company
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedIMC Fertilizer 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.
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

Imperial Oil Limited →
Active · founded 1880 · Canada
Imperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest producer of crude oil and a leading producer of natural gas.
Mallinckrodt Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1882
Mallinckrodt Group Inc.
Industrias Penoles, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1887 · Mexico
Industrias Penoles, S.A.
Kao Corporation →
Active · founded 1887 · Japan
Kao Corporation, often called the Procter & Gamble of Japan, is one of Japan's leaders in personal care products,…
NL Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1891
NL Industries, Inc.
Rhône-Poulenc S.A. →
Active · founded 1895 · France
Rhône-Poulenc S.A.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company →
Active · founded 1898
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear) is a major manufacturer, distributor, and seller of tires worldwide and…
The Clorox Company →
Active · founded 1913
Although best known for the household bleach that bears the firm's name, The Clorox Company is a diversified…
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company →
Active · founded 1915
E.I.
AlliedSignal Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
AlliedSignal Inc., formed from the acquisition of Signal Companies, Inc.
PetroFina S.A. →
Active · founded 1920 · Belgium
PetroFina S.A., Belgium's largest corporation, is the 15th largest publicly traded integrated oil and gas company in…
FMC Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
FMC Corporation is a leading producer of industrial and specialty chemicals and maintains interests in defense systems,…
Nalco Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
With nearly one-fifth of the global market for water treatment chemicals, Nalco Chemical Company dominates that $3…
Great Lakes Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1933
Great Lakes Chemical Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of bromine and brominated chemical…
Hawkins Chemical, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Hawkins Chemical, Inc.
Hach Co. →
Active · founded 1951
Hach Co.
Tosco Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Tosco Corporation is one of the largest independent refiners of petroleum products in the United States.
Roche Bioscience →
Active · founded 1957
Roche Bioscience was formed in 1995 following the acquisition of Syntex Corp.
Montedison S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1966 · Italy
Montedison S.p.A.
Melamine Chemicals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Melamine Chemicals, Inc.
Gaylord Container Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Gaylord Container Corporation is a major national manufacturer and distributor of corrugated containers,…
Sterling Chemicals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Sterling Chemicals, Inc.
ARCO Chemical Company →
Active · founded 1987
The ARCO Chemical Company manufactures intermediate chemicals used in a broad range of consumer and industrial products.
IMC Fertilizer Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
IMC Fertilizer Group, Inc.
OM Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Created through the 1991 merger of America's Mooney Chemicals, Inc., Finland's Kokkola Chemicals Oy, and France's…
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