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History of Elementis

Elementis was launched in 1998 as a highly focused international specialty chemicals group.

History

Harrisons and Crosfield plc, the pre-cursor to Elementis, was a large, diversified conglomerate. In 1997, the company directors took the decision to concentrate the business around its performance chemicals expertise and in 1998 relaunched as Elementis plc.

Key events

  • 1997 - return of capital - over £400 million returned to shareholders
  • 1998 - exit from non core sectors - interests in food & agriculture sold, along with timber & building supplies
  • 1998 - chemical business acquisition - key specialty additive manufacturer Rheox, bought and integrated with Elementis Specialties
  • December 2002 - Elementis Chromium acquisition of OxyChem's chromium chemicals business, creating a single US producer
  • July 2004 - Elementis Specialties acquisition of Sasol Servo B.V.
  • October 2005 - Sale of Specialty Rubber business
  • August 2007 - Sale of Global Pigments business completed
  • July 2008 - Elementis Specialty Products completes its acquisitions of Deuchem Co. Ltd, a key supplier of additives and resins to the coatings and related industries in Asia Pacific, based in Taiwan and China, and of YuHong, an organoclay business in China.

Trading origins

Harrisons and Crosfield was formed in 1844 when two brothers, Daniel and Smith Harrison, and Joseph Crosfield entered into partnership to trade in tea and coffee. From here the company soon developed into a global trading and tropical plantations company with estates producing tea, coffee, timber, oil palm and rubber.

Chemicals focus

Interest in the chemicals manufacturing sector started in 1947 through a joint venture with Durham Chemicals, UK to manufacture and market chemicals in Canada. By 1962 Harrisons and Crosfield had a majority shareholding in Durham Chemicals. Major acquisitions followed from the 1970s onwards with the purchase of key chromium, pigments and specialties businesses.