Company

Our heritage

Leveraging nearly 400 years of experience

#WeAreNouryon - A new company with a 400-year head start

We're Nouryon, previously known as AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals. Our new name is inspired by two of our company’s many pioneers, Jan Nourij and Gerrit van der Lande. In 1838, they bought two mills in the Netherlands to produce oil and flour. The discovery that oxidized flour made better bread sparked the transformation of their humble grain milling business into an international chemicals company and safety leader. Their pioneering spirit continues to inspire us to be a leader that can shape an industry.

Our heritage

While Nouryon officially formed in October 2018 after separating from AkzoNobel, its origins go back much further. Our history is an intricate web of mergers, acquisitions, and divestments spanning four centuries and locations ranging from the Netherlands to Germany, Sweden, China, the US, and Brazil.

Black and white photo of the Bofors forge, the earliest origin of Nobel Industries in Sweden.
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Black and white photo of the Bofors forge, the earliest origin of Nobel Industries in Sweden.

1646

The Bofors forge, the earliest origin of Nobel Industries, was founded in Sweden. Bofors began as an iron foundry, but by the time Alfred Nobel bought it in 1894, it had become a munitions manufacturer.
Black and white photo of Amsterdam, where apothecary Gerhard Tileman Ketjen founded a plant for manufacturing sulfuric acid.

1835

Apothecary Gerhard Tileman Ketjen founded a plant in Amsterdam for manufacturing sulfuric acid, used primarily for dyeing textiles. A predecessor of our ethylene and sulfur derivatives business, Ketjen became part of KZO and then Akzo.
Workers stacking and carrying sacks on a large outdoor pile, with industrial buildings in the background.

1838

Jan Nourij and Gerrit van der Lande purchased two mills in the Netherlands to produce oil and flour. Their company’s discovery that oxidized flour made better bread led to the founding of a research laboratory in Deventer and led to the evolution of our company into the safety experts we are today.
Woman in a white uniform stands behind a large tray holding neatly stacked candles at factory Liljeholmens Stearinfabrik in Stockholm.

1841

Tallow candle factory Liljeholmens Stearinfabrik, predecessor of our surface chemistry business, was founded in Stockholm. Liljeholmens went on to become part of KemaNobel and then Nobel Industries.
Black and white photo of an Armour factory building with train tracks and a car outside.

1867

An important predecessor of Akzo in the US and our surface chemistry business, Armour was founded in Chicago as a meat processer but shifted its focus to meat byproducts such as tallow and soap.
Black and white photo of riverside industrial buildings in Stockholm with a chimney, fences, and houses near the water.

1871

The fertilizer company Stockholms Superfosfat was founded by Oscar Carlson in Stockholm. The company eventually bought Nitro Nobel and became part of KemaNobel and then Nobel Industries.
Two workers in aprons stand in an old industrial workshop in California.

1895

Stauffer was founded in California by partners John Stauffer Sr. and Joseph Mayer to extract chemicals from the waters and shores of the San Francisco Bay. The company expanded to become an international specialty chemicals company, reflecting the relentless drive to grow we possess today.
Two workers in aprons stand in an old industrial workshop in California.

1895

EKA was founded in Sweden by Rudolf Lilljeqvist, who wanted to develop an alternative to imported chloride of lime. Lilljeqvist’s spirit of entrepreneurship and responsiveness to customer needs exemplifies the way we approach innovation to this day.
Black and white picture of the tall wooden salt mine tower of KNZ, the Royal Dutch salt company, under a partly cloudy sky.

1918

KNZ, the Royal Dutch salt company, was founded in the Netherlands to take advantage of natural salt reserves. Today, salt and the many useful products derived from it play an essential role in everyday life for people around the world.
A worker holding a flag guides an EKA Bohus chemical tanker train on tracks in an industrial area.

1924

In 1924, Elektrokemiska Aktiebolaget moved its operations from Bengtfors to Bohus in Sweden. This marks the establishment of the chemical manufacturing in Bohus.
A man with a white coat spreads casein glue on wood with a tool in a factory.

1928

Casco AB was founded in Stockholm and started producing casein glue, a wood adhesive made from animal products and lime; Casco eventually became part of Nobel Industries.
Aerial view of a large factory complex surrounded by farmland and a nearby canal.

1929

Vereinigte Glanzstoff Fabriken, a German synthetic fibers company, merged with its Dutch rival Nederlandse Kunstzijdefabriek to form AKU, a market leader in synthetic fibers and predecessor to Akzo.
Three men in long coats stand outside a building.

1937

Berol was founded in Södertälje, Sweden by a fisherman named Bernström and a pharmacist named Olsson who teamed up to produce chemicals to make fishing line stronger and water resistant - a great example of how partnerships have formed the foundation of our success.
Black and white picture of a worker who stands by industrial control panels and gauges at MoDo's ethylene production facility in Stenungsund.

1960

Mo och Domsjö (MoDo) started producing ethylene from petrochemicals in Stenungsund. MoDo had its origins in forestry before branching out into alcohol-based chemistry, acquiring Berol, and eventually becoming part of AkzoNobel's ethylene and sulfur derivatives business.
Black and white picture of an office building with Akzo logo on the facade, ramp entrance, and tree branches in the foreground.

1969

Having recently formed from the merger of Koninklijke Zout-Ketjen (comprised of KNZ, Ketjen, and others) and Koninklijke Zwanenberg-Organon (comprised of Noury & Van der Lande and others), KZO merged with AKU to form Akzo, the fourth biggest company in the Netherlands and the 10th biggest chemicals company in the world.
Factory building with a tall chimney labeled "CASCO" in a snowy landscape surrounded by trees and fences.

1980

Expancel microspheres, a key Casco innovation, were launched. Expancel was owned by Casco until 2006, when it became part of Akzo Nobel's pulp and paper chemicals business.
Large industrial factory complex with tall smokestacks by the water, surrounded by trees and hills.

1984

Bofors acquired KemaNobel to form Nobel Industries, a Swedish chemicals giant with deep ties to Alfred Nobel and markets in amines, paint and building chemicals, coatings, and paper chemicals.
Aerial view of a large industrial complex with factories, warehouses, and a canal surrounded by farmlands.

1994

Dutch company Akzo merged with the Swedish company Nobel Industries to create Akzo Nobel. The company published its first environmental report that year, kick-starting our journey to become the sustainability leader we are today.
Glass building facade with the Nouryon logo, reflecting trees and a blue sky with clouds.

2018

The sale of AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals to The Carlyle Group and GIC was completed and Nouryon, your partner in essential chemistry for a sustainable future, was formed.
Stacked cut tree logs of various sizes showing round ends and wood grain patterns.

2020

Acquisition of the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) business of J.M. Huber Corporation
A bag of Elotex® redispersible powder.

2020

Divesting the redispersible polymer powders (RPP) business, offered under the Elotex® brand, to Celanese Corporation,
Person holding a tablet displaying a Nobian page with the text "Chemistry you can count on."

2021

Completing the spin-out of Nobian (formerly Industrial Chemicals), the base chemicals business, into a separate company remaining under the ownership of Nouryon’s equity owners, The Carlyle Group and GIC.
Flag of Nouryon

2023

Nouryon announced that it has completed the acquisition of ADOB, a leading supplier of chelated micronutrients, foliars and other specialty agricultural solutions headquartered in Poland.

More about our heritage

Historic photography from site Bohus 1920's and 1930's representing our 100 years of experience and passion for innovation

History of Eka® pellets - More than 100 years of experience

Nouryon started its production of Eka® pellets as early as 1904, at the Bengtsfors plant in Sweden. In 1924,the plant was moved to Bohus, where it still remains.
A worker holding a flag guides an EKA Bohus chemical tanker train on tracks in an industrial area.

The history of Eka® from the 1890's

As part of the former Swedish Nobel Industries, we can trace our history all the way back to the 1640's. However our own proud history starts in 1898.
Factory building with a tall chimney labeled "CASCO" in a snowy landscape surrounded by trees and fences.

History - Expancel® microspheres

The history of Expancel® Microspheres started with a slightly wild idea in the middle of the 70s that turned into a very useful product. Read more.

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