Rütgers Group GmbH - Leading manufacturer of coal tar products

Martin Rütgers, the father of our founder, Julius Rütgers, opens the first German treatment plant for railway sleepers in Neuss outside Düsseldorf. The enterprise fails, however, when the revolution in the following year impedes construction of the railway network.

At the age of 18, Julius Rütgers assumes his father’s debts and reopens the plant, converting production to Bethell’s method with coal tar.

Julius Rütgers builds Germany’s first major coal tar distillation facility in Berlin.

RÜTGERS scientist Adolf Spilker discovers the aromatic ingredients coumarone and indene, which became the basis for the first synthetic resins from coal tar.

Julius Rütgers builds the Teerproduktenfabrik Rauxel-Westfalen.

First Deutsche Teerproduktenvereinigung (the German tar products syndicate) founded in Berlin, and the Gesellschaft für Teerverwertung mbH established in the Meiderich district of Duisburg.

Supervisory board member Segall acquires patent rights for the production of hardenable phenolic resins. He recognized the growing demand for highly insulating products early on.

Consul Segall, the successor to Julius Rütgers, founds Bakelite GmbH. This company produces the world’s first fully synthetic plastic, the material used to manufacture the casings of such universal articles as early home radios, the good old black rotary-dial phones and those in the light switches that used to protrude so prominently from the walls.

Founding of Verkaufsvereinigung für Teererzeugnisse G.m.b.H. in Essen, which later became VFT GmbH.

RÜTGERS launches onto the market Caramba graphite spray oil, a name that became as synonymous with the entire product group comprising rust solvents as “Post-it” for sticky notes.

Merger of the Rauxel facility of RÜTGERS-Werke AG, the Gesellschaft für Teerverwertung (GfT) and VFT’s pitch coking plant into the Castrop-Rauxel plant of RÜTGERS-Werke und Teerverwertung AG.

Company name changed to Rütgerswerke-Aktiengesellschaft.

RÜTGERS group sales for the first time exceed one billion German marks.

Acquisition of Société Chimique de Selzaete, Belgium.

Acquisition of the plant built in 1958 in Hamilton, Canada, a key step in further penetrating the North American market.

Founding of RÜTGERS-Verkaufsvereinigung für Teererzeugnisse Aktiengesellschaft (RÜTGERS VFT AG).

RÜTGERS sets new standards with the world’s first ocean shipment of liquid pitch.

Spin-off of RÜTGERS VFT AG.

Some fields of business restructured as decentralized companies; RÜTGERS AG established.

Acquisition of Handy Chemicals Ltd., Canada

Acquisition of the company in Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Poland, that is now RUETGERS Poland Sp. z o.o.

Merger of RÜTGERS VFT AG (tar chemistry) and RÜTGERS Organics GmbH (fine chemicals) into RÜTGERS AG.

Change of legal form to RÜTGERS Chemicals GmbH.

Takeover by Triton private equity company.

International holding company RÜTGERS N.V. founded with headquarters in Zelzate, Belgium. The VFT Belgium and VFT Canada Inc. plants are renamed RÜTGERS Belgium N.V. and RUETGERS Canada Inc. The German company operates under the name RÜTGERS Germany GmbH.

Chief Representation Office established in Shanghai.