Haas Group history

In 1934 Herman Bruson, an employee hired by Haas, discovered a synthetic oil additive.

1935 Discovery of Plexiglas

General view of three exhibit panels displayed at the 1956 Rohm and Haas Company stockholders' meeting.

In 1959, the 50th year of Rohm and Haas's United States operation, Otto Haas retired, leaving the company in excellent shape.

General view of an exhibit panel on Plexiglas exhibited at the 1962 Rohm and Haas Company stockholders' meeting.

In 1974 the Health Research Group, founded by Ralph Nader, accused Rohm and Haas of concealing the dangers at the plant, 54 employees of which had died of cancer, probably induced by BCME.

By 1975 the company began to lose money and there was speculation that Gregory would be relieved of his duties.

Rohm and Haas, with its experience in plastics, returned the plant to profitability by 1982, a year after it was purchased for $35 million.

In 1985 sales were down slightly, but given the difficult economic conditions that existed that year for chemical companies the performance of Rohm and Haas was regarded by many industry analysts as satisfactory.

Hochheiser, Sheldon, Rohm and Haas: History of a Chemical Company, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986.

In 1987 Haas Automation started the development of its first CNC Machining Centre.

In mid-1988 Gregory retired as chairman and CEO, with J. Lawrence Wilson selected to succeed him.

A team of British industry professionals recognised the potential of this new development and in 1990 agreed to become the first company to distribute Haas machines outside of the USA.

The VF-1 vertical machining centre made its UK debut in 1991 amidst comment from the established competition, who doubted the product would get off the ground.

During 1993, when Rohm and Haas’s net earnings fell to $107 million—in part because of the skyrocketing prices of raw materials used to make specialty chemicals—Wilson announced a reengineering effort aimed at further curtailing costs.

In June 1997 Rohm and Haas purchased a 25 percent stake (later increased to 31 percent) in Newark, Delaware-based Rodel, Inc., an expansion of its electronic materials sector.

In July 1998 the company purchased a minority stake in Isagro Italia, a subsidiary of Isagro S.p.A. specializing in crop protection products.

In January 1999 the company acquired LeaRonal, Inc. of Freport, New York, for about $460 million.

By 2000 revenues at Rohm and Haas had reached $6.88 billion, with more than $1 billion of the total deriving from the sale of electronics materials.

In 2001 Rohm and Haas sold its agricultural chemicals business to the Dow Chemical Company for approximately $1 billion.

―――――――, "Rohm & Haas Fortifies Powder Coatings Grip," Philadelphia Business Journal, August 16, 2002.

In 2003 Rohm and Haas benefited from a recovery in both the electronics and industrial sectors, pushing sales up 12 percent, to $6.42 billion.

By 2004 profits had jumped to $497 million (from $280 million the previous year), while revenues surged 14 percent, hitting $7.3 billion.

In this environment, the company continued to restructure, announcing in December 2005 the launch of an initiative to improve its manufacturing operations in Europe.