COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 325211

Plastics Material and Resin Manufactur- ing

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

41companies1822–2001founding years41still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGroupe Bolloré
1822
FoundedThe Valspar Corporation
1832
FoundedMenasha Corporation
1872
FoundedHenkel KGaA
1876
FoundedGeneral Electric Company
1892
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe Siam Cement Public Company Limited
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAsahi Denka Kogyo KK
1917
FoundedAshland Inc.
1924
FoundedStepan Company
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedNOF Corporation
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedUbe Industries, Ltd.
1942
FoundedGrupo Cydsa, S.A. de C.V.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedHexcel Corporation
1948
FoundedConsorcio G Grupo Dina, S.A. de C.V.
1951
FoundedW.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
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.
FoundedBairnco Corporation
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedGeorgia Gulf Corporation
1985
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.
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

Groupe Bolloré →
Active · founded 1822 · France
Groupe Bolloré is a diversified industrial conglomerate with leadership status in most of its operating areas.
Rogers Corporation →
Active · founded 1832
Rogers Corporation was originally founded as a paper mill in 1832 and segued from insulated paperboard into a wide…
The Valspar Corporation →
Active · founded 1832
The Valspar Corporation is the fifth largest North American manufacturer of paints and coatings, a business it has…
Yule Catto & Company plc →
Active · founded 1863 · United Kingdom
Yule Catto & Company plc is one of Europe's leading specialty chemicals groups.
Menasha Corporation →
Active · founded 1872
The third oldest privately held manufacturing company in the United States, Menasha Corporation is a holding company…
Degussa-Hüls AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Degussa-Hüls AG is a specialty chemicals company based in Germany.
Henkel KGaA →
Active · founded 1876 · Germany
Based in Germany, Henkel KGaA is one of the world's largest chemical companies.
Perstorp AB →
Active · founded 1881 · Sweden
Perstorp AB operates as a specialty chemicals group focusing on polyalcohols, which are used in the production of…
Unitika Ltd. →
Active · founded 1889 · Japan
Through its many subsidiaries, Unitika Ltd.
General Electric Company →
Active · founded 1892
The history of General Electric Company is a significant part of the history of technology in the United States.
DSM N.V. →
Active · founded 1902 · The Netherlands
DSM N.V.
The Siam Cement Public Company Limited →
Active · founded 1913 · Thailand
One of Thailand's largest companies, The Siam Cement Public Company Limited is a diversified conglomerate with…
Wacker-Chemie GmbH →
Active · founded 1914 · Germany
Wacker-Chemie GmbH is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of specialty chemicals.
Asahi Denka Kogyo KK →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
Asahi Denka Kogyo KK (the company uses Asahi Denka Co.
Teijin Limited →
Active · founded 1918 · Japan
Teijin Limited is one of the leading Japanese manufacturers of synthetic fibers, with fibers and textiles accounting…
Ashland Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Ashland Inc.
Toray Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926 · Japan
Toray Industries, Inc.
A. Schulman, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Mid-1940s:[fs22]A.
Stepan Company →
Active · founded 1928
Stepan Company has carved out a highly specific niche market for itself by producing and supplying specialty 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…
Hilti AG →
Active · founded 1941 · Liechtenstein
Hilti AG is the largest industrial corporation in tiny Liechtenstein and one of the world's leading manufacturers of…
Ube Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Ube Industries, Ltd.
Atanor S.A. →
Active · founded 1943 · Argentina
Atanor S.A.
Celanese Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1944 · Mexico
Celanese Mexicana, S.A.
Grupo Cydsa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1945 · Mexico
Grupo Cydsa, S.A.
The Dow Chemical Company →
Active · founded 1947
To say that The Dow Chemical Company is a very large chemical company is an understatement.
Hexcel Corporation →
Active · founded 1948
Hexcel Corporation is the worldwide leader in the manufacture of advanced structural composites.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) was formed by the 1994 merger of Mitsubishi Kasei Corp.
Consorcio G Grupo Dina, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1951 · Mexico
Consorcio G Grupo Dina , S.A.
Royal Ten Cate N.V. →
Active · founded 1957 · The Netherlands
Royal (Koninklijke in Dutch) Ten Cate N.V.
W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
W.L.
Solvay S.A. →
Active · founded 1967 · Belgium
The wide ranging activities of the Belgium chemical firm Solvay S.A.
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.
Bairnco Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Bairnco Corporation is a multinational company with subsidiaries operating in two business segments: engineered…
Kensey Nash Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Kensey Nash Corporation is a medical technology company skilled in developing puncture closure devices for…
Georgia Gulf Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Georgia Gulf Corporation is a major manufacturer of two highly integrated product lines, chlorovinyls and aromatic…
Lyondell Chemical Company →
Active · founded 1985
Lyondell Chemical Company is one of the largest U.S.-based chemical manufacturers.
Albemarle Corporation →
Active · founded 1994
During the late 1990s, there were several significant acquisitions completed and one daring bid at expansion that…
Solutia Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Solutia Inc.
Dynea →
Active · founded 2001 · Finland
Dynea is a world-leading producer of industrial adhesives and adhesive resins.
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