1990-2002

Forward-looking strategy: Modern Brenntag is created

Although Brenntag has a history stretching back more than 130 years and many basic elements of its operations have been established and expanding for decades - such as international relations with West and East - today's modern Brenntag is really a very young enterprise.

It was not until the end of the Eighties and early Nineties that the decisions were taken which determined Brenntag's present position as one of the largest chemical distribution companies in the world. The modern Brenntag was created by purchases and numerous acquisitions.

 

There were so many purchases in the Nineties that only a few examples can be listed here. In Germany, Brenntag's acquisitions included Staub & Co., Wülfing (1994), Rühl (1995/96), CVH Hannover (1996) and Schuster & Sohn (1998). Some of these enterprises - such as Staub & Co. and CVH - are being successfully continued as joint ventures with their former owners.

 

In Italy, Weiss (1991), Sepic (1994) and parts of the Bombardieri-Cambiaghi Group (1998) were taken over. In the USA, Southchem (1993), Eastech (1993), Burris (1997), Milsolv and Whittaker (both 1998) were integrated into the Brenntag group. In 1999, there was acquisition of the Austrian Neuber Group, which has strong representation throughout eastern Europe.

 

The takeover of the Austrian Neuber Group (2000) enabled Brenntag to gain a firm foothold in the Eastern European market. The long-standing Neuber Group, one of Austria's leading chemical wholesalers since the 60s, was already on course for growth before the takeover and had set up subsidiaries in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Poland. This move further consolidated Brenntag's status as the overall European market leader. Neuber was renamed Brenntag CEE GmbH in 2004.

 

1+1=3: The acquisition of HCI

 

September 1999 will long be seen as a milestone in corporate history, since this was the month in which Brenntag submitted a takeover bid to the shareholders in Holland Chemical International (HCI), which 99.1% of them accepted on November 15, 2000.

 

And so the worldwide leader in chemical distribution was created. At the time of the takeover, Brenntag was the market leader in Europe and held fourth place in North America, with more than one hundred locations and sales of about 1.5 billion EUR. HCI contributed sales of about 1.3 billion EUR and its position as the fifth largest chemicals distributor worldwide - with large market shares in, primarily, Scandinavia, eastern Europe and the USA. In Latin America, where Brenntag had not been represented hitherto, HCI was number one.

 

In this way, market positions are complementary and so is customer structure - Brenntag supplies large quantities to lacquer and paint manufacturers, to the plastics and food-processing industries and to the chemicals industry, whereas HCI's major customers are the oil and gas industry, personal care and the foodstuffs industry.

 

Integration teams started work as early as November 2000. Their mission was to forge from two major corporations a new and even more successful chemicals distribution enterprise. The target of both enterprises was to create the most innovative and profitable chemicals logistics service provider and offer customers additional benefits - on the basis of "1+1=3".