Note: All American roots are marked with a (*).

1917*

Werner G. Smith starts business in Cleveland based on blending natural oils, such as linseed oil with solvents and driers to foundry specifications.

1929*

Archer Daniels Midland Co. buys Werner G. Smith’s company and is ADM’s first venture into the chemical business.  W.G. Smith was a large purchaser of linseed oil from ADM.

1929

Dr. Arthur Braun takes over the Dextrin Factory founded by Carl von der HeidenSn. in 1910. He switches the business over to the production of foundry chemicals under the name of “Kernfest KG” located in Hilden.

1948*

ADM invents “D” process invented by ADM to make dry sand molds using heavy core oil.  Petroleum polymers used in core oils.

1957*

ADM buys Federal Foundry Supply and acquires the Upton and Colony, Wyoming bentonite mines as well as the Cleveland East refractory coatings plant

1958*

ADM introduces ChemRez 200, a furan no-bake binder, at the AFS convention. ADM also introduces a gas cure process that uses chlorine gas to cure furan resins.  The process was demonstrated at ADM’s East Side plant during the Cleveland AFS convention.

1960*

ADM, in conjunction with Ford’s Development labs (and Aristo Chemical), develops a hot box process using latent acid catalysts.

1962

New plant established in the outskirts of Hilden due to growing demand.

1965*

ADM introduces Lino-Cure, the first urethane foundry binder (alkyd urethane) at the AFS convention.

1966

Founding of ADM Giesserei Chemikalien GmbH

1967*

Ashland Oil acquires ADM’s Chemical Division and forms Ashland Chemical.  About one year later, Ashland Chemical’s headquarters are established in Dublin, Ohio.

1967

Ashland (Ohio, USA) and Süd-Chemie (Munich, Germany) take over 50% each of the French company Avébène and start business under the name of  “Ashland Avébène SAS” with the aim of setting up and developing the "COLD BOX" process.

1968*

Ashland introduces Isocure (phenolic urethane cold-box binder) at the AFS convention.

1970

Takeover of Kernfest KG by SüdChemie AG and Ashland. It is operated under the name Kernfest KG-Ashland-Südchemie-Gießerei-Chemikalien GmbH & Co. (KASC).

1970*

Ashland introduces Pep Set (phenolic urethane no-bake binder) at the AFS Convention.  Ashland also sells the Colony and Upton bentonite mines to Y&O Coal Company.

1972

Takeover of AS-Necof B.V., Waalwijk, the Netherlands.

1973

Takeover of Hantos &  Co., Vienna, Austria, and change of name to Ashland-Südchemie-Hantos GmbH.

1975

Renaming to Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest GmbH (ASK).

1976

Founding of the Ashland-Südchemie-Gremolith AG, Bazenheid, Switzerland.

1976

Commissioning of the state-of-the-art synthetic resin plant in Wülfrath as a central manufacturing site.

1978

Acquisition of Webac, Stockholm, Sweden and changed name  to Kernfest-Webac A.B.

1978*

Ashland introduces Aluminum Pep Set 5000 series

1980

Ashland-Südchemie-KernfestGmbH takes over the Mannheim plant from ReichholdChemie AG.

1980

Establishment of WebacemOy in Tampere, Finland, as a subsidiary of Kernfest-Webac A.B.

1982*

Ashland purchases Ceramco's refractory coatings business and introduces the Isoset FRC process at the AFS convention

1985

Expansion of the non-foundry product line under the new business unit “Synthetic Resins and Polymers” to provide customized specialty products for the paint and fertilizer industry.

1989*

Ashland introduces Novathane (phenolic urethane no-bake binder). Total elimination of chlorinated solvents in coatings and release agents.

1990

New central administration building in Hilden.

1993

The Wülfrath plant receives DIN/ISO 9003 certification by DQS

1997*

EXACTCAST^TM Riser Sleeves introduced providing dimensionally accurate sleeves

1999

Acquisition of Gebrüder Lüngen KG in Bendorf, Rhineland-Palatinate, and further operation under the name Ashland-Südchemie-Lüngen (AS Lüngen) GmbH.

2000

Founding of Ashland-Südchemie-CZ S.R.O. in Brno, Czech Republic.

2000

Founding of Ashland-SüdchemieNorge, Lunde, Norway.

2000*

Ashland introduces Magnaset (fast furan no-bake resin) and Isomax (cold-box resin)

2001

Formation of AS-Ferro-Term Sp.z.o.o. in Lódz, Poland, and renamed in 2004 to AS-Polska Sp.o.o. in Lodz, Poland.

2002

Introduction of the management system for quality, environment and occupational health/safety, and DIN EN ISO 9001:2000, DIN EN ISO 14001:2005 and OHSAS 18001 certification.

2003

Süd-Chemie acquires SKW Giessereitechnik GmbH + Co. KG, Unterneukirchen, from DEGUSSA, a world leader in the supply of high-quality metallurgical products for iron-casting, to become the only real full-range supplier to the foundry industry to further complete the product portfolio.

2004*

Ashland introduces Color Change Coatings and purchases Blackhawk Specialty Sales Release Agent technology.

2004

SKW Giessereitechnik GmbH + Co. KG, takeover of marketing and sales activities.

2005*

Ashland introduces the T.E.D. Process (Total Effective Dehydration Process) for the increased productivity of furan no-bakes.

2006

Acquisition of WD-Giesserei-Technik GmbH, a contract manufacturer of sand cores in Fuldabrück-Bergshausen by Süd-Chemie AG and continued operation within the Süd-Chemie Group.

2008

Acquisition of AMSC, a leading supplier for foundry chemicals in India.

2008

Acquisition of Süd-Chemie Hi-Tech Ceramics Inc., Alfred Station NY/USA, one of the leading suppliers of high-tech filters for the foundry industry.

2008

Süd-Chemie takes over production facilities from AlzChem; company name changes to SKW Giesserei GmbH

2009*

Introduction of Low Odor / Low Smoke Pep Set.phenolic urethane binder.

2010*

Introduction of Magnaset resin with less than 25% free furfuryl alcohol.

2010

Joint venture of Ashland Inc.,Ohio/USA, foundry business of Süd-Chemie, Munich, Germany  and Ashland-Südchemie-Kernfest GmbH, Hilden/Germany. The new ASK Chemicals GmbH, Hilden, Germany is established.

2011

Clariant takes over Süd-Chemie and ASK Chemicals is 50 % part of Clariant

2014

Rhône Capital takes over ASK Chemicals

2017

foundation of xpuris, the green-tech company for innovative industrial exhaust air purification systems

2021

Acquisition of the industrial resin business from SI Group