Celanese Corporation History

2002 - The Rurchemie plant in Oberhausen celebrates its 75th anniversary on October 28th, while the Pampa, Texas site celebrates its 50th anniversary.

October 25, 1999 - Celanese AG becomes a publicly traded German stock corporation listed on the New York and Frankfurt stock exchanges.

October 22, 1999 - Celanese AG is entered into the German Commercial Register.

July 16, 1999 - At an Extraordinary General Meeting of Hoechst AG, the overwhelming majority of shareholders agrees to spin off Celanese AG into an independent company. The so-called demerger is part of Hoechst's strategy of focusing on its life science businesses.

1998 - At its autumn press conference, Hoechst announces plans to demerge most of its chemical activities to the new Celanese AG because it is the most direct, quickest and simplest way to speed up the transformation of the Group. On December 1, Hoechst and Rhône-Poulenc S.A. announce their plans to merge their life science businesses into the new company Aventis S.A., based in Strasbourg.

1997 - As a result of the strategic realignment of Hoechst AG, the various businesses are transferred to independent companies. The global basic chemical, cellulose acetate, phosphorous and chlorine businesses become part of Celanese. The independent company Ticona - market leader in the field of polyacetals - runs the technical polymers business.

In May, the Annual General Meeting approves the realignment of the Group. On July 1, Hoechst AG becomes a Strategic Management Holding company and no longer does any operating business itself.

1994 - "Transition '94": the beginning of the realignment of the Group and the introduction of a new organizational structure.

1987 - Hoechst AG acquires Celanese Corporation for $2.85 billion. After the approval of the friendly takeover by the U.S. cartel authorities on February 20, 1987, Celanese and American Hoechst Corporation join forces to form Hoechst Celanese Corporation in the U.S. Celanese strengthens Hoechst's fiber, organic chemical and specialty chemical businesses.

1979 - Hoechst takes over the polyester film business of Celanese in Greer, North Carolina.

1961 - Celanese Corporation of America and Hoechst AG set up the Ticona Polymerwerke joint venture in Kelsterbach, Germany. The production of the polyacetate Hostaform, a high-performance plastic for technical applications, begins in 1963.

1956 - Camille Dreyfus dies. He was one of the founders of Celanese and was President of Celanese Corporation of America for 27 years. After the death of his brother and co-founder Henri in 1945, Camille Dreyfus was also Managing Director of British Celanese.

1945-1960 - In the U.S., Celanese establishes production plants in the Texan cities of Bishop in 1945, Corpus Christi in 1946 and Pampa in 1952 for the production of acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, methanol, and acetone. But Celanese fibers remain the company's most important product line. The use of acetate tow in cigarette filters opens up a new business area.

1927 - The Dreyfus brothers' U.S. subsidiary changes its name from Amcelle to "Celanese Corporation of America". The company, which produces fibers, plastics and chemicals, becomes one of the largest chemicals manufacturers in the country. In 1926, Celanese Canada is founded. From 1927 onwards, artificial silk is produced at the Canadian factory in Drummondville.

1921 - British Celanese begins commercial production of acetate yarn, taking advantage of a number of its new inventions, ranging from the technique used to spin thread to the treatment of dyed fibres. This change in direction ensures the company's survival.

1918 - The company gets into difficulties when all its paint contracts are cancelled after the First World War. The Dreyfus brothers concentrate on the production of acetate fibers. "British Celanese & Chemical Manufacturing Co." changes its name to "British Celanese Limited".

1917 - Under the guidance of Camille Dreyfus, "The American Cellulose & Chemical Manufacturing Company", known as "Amcelle" for short, is founded in New York with a production facility in Cumberland, Maryland.

1916 - The British Government invites the Dreyfus brothers to Britain to produce their new airplane paint along with the intermediate product acetic acid which was being imported from Canada at the time due to the First World War. The British Government patented the process developed by Henri Dreyfus which lowered the costs of acetic acid anhydride production. "British Celanese & Chemical Manufacturing Co." is set up. Henri Dreyfus manages the company with its workforce of 14,000.

1913 - The company "Cellonit" is established. Cellonit contributes greatly to the development of new film materials and finds a sponsor in the Parisian film industrialist Pathe. The product line is diversified to include paints for German airplanes and Zeppelins.

1912 - Henri Dreyfus, who was working for Hoffmann La Roche at the time, asks the entrepreneur Alexander Clavel-Respinger for financial support and assistance in the production of fireproof celluloid out of cellulose acetate. On December 28, 1912, Clavel and the two Dreyfus brothers set up "Cellonit Gesellschaft Dreyfus & Co." in Basle.

1880 - "Farbwerke vorm. Meister Lucius & Brüning", the predecessor of Hoechst AG, modernizes its legal structure by becoming a joint stock company and lists its shares on the Frankfurt stock exchange in 1888.

1863 - Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Meister, Eugen N. Lucius und Ludwig August Müller set up a production facility in Höchst am Main to manufacture coal tar dyes. The chemist Adolf Brüning, who became a co-partner in 1865, five workers and a clerk formed the company's first workforce. Hoechst's first product was fuchsine, a purple-red dye, earning the young company the nickname of the "Red Factory" among its neighbors. Based on hard coal products, a wide range of dyes were developed and sold throughout the world.

 Source: www.celanese.com