COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 2800

Chemicals and Allied Products, Not Elsewhere Classified

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

15companies1842–1987founding years15still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedJoseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc.
1842
1867
TechnologyNobel patents dynamite.
FoundedBrenntag AG
1874
FoundedCiba-Geigy Ltd.
1884
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe British Petroleum Company plc
1909
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedMacDermid Incorporated
1922
FoundedQuantum Chemical Corporation
1924
FoundedChemcentral CorporationFoundedDillard Paper Company
1926
FoundedNalco Chemical Corporation
1928
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedBunzl plc
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedPreussag AG
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedUnivar Corporation
1966
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedDecora Industries, Inc.FoundedNational Sanitary Supply Co.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRepsol S.A.
1987
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
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
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

Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc. →
Active · founded 1842
Under the parentage of Inland Steel since 1935, Joseph T.
Brenntag AG →
Active · founded 1874 · Germany
Brenntag AG is Europe's largest distributor of industrial chemicals.
Ciba-Geigy Ltd. →
Active · founded 1884 · Switzerland
Ciba-Geigy is the largest chemical company in Switzerland.
The British Petroleum Company plc →
Active · founded 1909 · England
One of the five largest oil companies in the world, The British Petroleum Company plc (BP) is the United Kingdom's…
MacDermid Incorporated →
Active · founded 1922
MacDermid Incorporated develops, acquires, manufactures, markets, and services specialty chemicals and systems for the…
Quantum Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Quantum Chemical Corporation (prior to 1988, the National Distillers and Chemical Corporation) is one of the largest…
Chemcentral Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Chemcentral Corporation, one of North America's "big three" chemical distribution companies, retains a broad clientele…
Dillard Paper Company →
Active · founded 1926
Dillard Paper Company, one of North Carolina's largest privately owned corporations, has long been a major distributor…
Nalco Chemical Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
With nearly one-fifth of the global market for water treatment chemicals, Nalco Chemical Company dominates that $3…
Bunzl plc →
Active · founded 1940 · United Kingdom
Bunzl plc is an international group of companies active in 220 locations in 21 countries.
Preussag AG →
Active · founded 1959 · Germany
Preussag AG is the holding company for an international group of firms operating in five major business areas: the…
Univar Corporation →
Active · founded 1966
Univar Corporation is a leading, international distributor of a broad range of industrial chemicals, which it…
Decora Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Decora Industries, Inc.
National Sanitary Supply Co. →
Active · founded 1983
National Sanitary Supply Co.
Repsol S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · Spain
Repsol S.A.
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