Our name

Our name, Nouryon, is inspired by two of our company’s many pioneers: Jan Nourij and Gerrit van der Lande. The pioneering spirit of Nourij & Van der Lande continues to inspire us to work together to create success, innovate to meet customer needs, take pride in working safely, and 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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

A global specialty chemicals leader.
