Arkema
 |
|
| Société Anonyme | |
| Traded as | Euronext: AKE |
| Industry | Chemical industry |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Colombes, France |
|
Key people
|
Thierry Le Hénaff (Chairman and CEO) |
| Products | Acrylics, synthetic resins, PVC, polymers, hydrogen peroxide, vinyl compounds, pipes, PMMA, HCFCs and chlorine compounds |
| Revenue | €7.7 billion (2015) |
| €486 million (2010) | |
| Profit | €347 million (2010) |
| Total assets | €4.818 billion (end 2010) |
| Total equity | €2.240 billion (end 2010) |
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Number of employees
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19,000 (end 2015) |
| Subsidiaries | Alphacan, Altuglas International, Arkema Inc., Ceca, Coatex, MLPC International, Oxford Performance Materials, Resinoplast |
| Website | www.arkema.com |
Arkema is a leading specialty chemicals and advanced materials company headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France.
Created in 2004 when French oil major Total restructured its chemicals business, Arkema was introduced at the Paris stock exchange in May 2006. With a turnover of 7.7 billion €, Arkema has 19,000 employees in more than 50 countries, 13 research centers worldwide, and a total of 137 production plants in Europe, North America and Asia.
Arkema is organized into three business segments: Coating Solutions, Industrial Chemicals and Performance Products.
Arkema was created when French oil major Total restructured its chemicals business. The restructuring was a gradual process that began many years earlier:
1971: Creation of Aquitaine Total Organico (ATO), a joint Elf-Total subsidiary. Creation of Produits Chimiques Ugine Kuhlmann (PCUK).
1973: Creation of ATO Chimie.
1980: Creation of Chloé Chimie (40% Elf Aquitaine, 40% Total and 20% Rhône-Poulenc).
1983: Creation of Atochem - Chemical production in France is reorganized around Atochem, a wholly owned Elf Aquitaine subsidiary incorporating the activities of ATO Chimie, Chloé Chimie and most of PCUK.
1990: Chemical production is again reorganized in France: Orkem’s petrochemicals, styrenics, fertilizers and acrylics businesses are integrated into Atochem, while specialties (resin and paint) move to Total. Acquisition of Montedison’s organic peroxide business.
1992: Atochem becomes Elf Atochem.
2000: Creation of Atofina by merging TotalFina and Elf’s chemical businesses following the two companies’ 1999 merger.
2004: Creation of Arkema on October 1.
2006: Arkema IPO on the Paris Bourse on May 18
2007: Arkema sells its agrochemical activities (CEREXAGRI) and its formaldehyde activities
2007: Arkema acquires Coatex company (specialty acrylic polymers)
2010: Arkema acquires acrylic Dow assets in the US
2011: Arkema acquires Total coating resins (Cray Valley and Sartomer)
2011 : in June, Arkema joined the CAC Next 20 French stock market index.
2012: Arkema acquires Chinese Company Hipro Polymers (producer of bio-Polyamides) and Casda Biomaterials (producer of plant raw materials)
2012 : in July, Arkema sold for 1 symbolic euro its vinyl products business segment to the Klesch group for reasons of profitability, but also to recenter its operations exclusively on specialty chemicals. As part of this divestment, Arkema made a 100 million euro cash payment to the Klesch group and took on debts amounting to 470 million euros to help revive the activity. In response to fears of redundancy and to protests from employees at a number of production sites, the trade unions negotiated, with the Arkema management, industrial and social guarantees as well as support measures designed to protect the rights of employees should the Klesch group implement redundancies following their take-over of the vinyl products activities. Hence two trust funds of €20 M were set up to secure compensation payments and the rights of employees of the companies that were sold off.
2012 : as part of its strategic refocusing on specialty chemicals, Arkema acquired a new visual identity as well as a new signature "Innovative Chemistry".
2015 : in February the company finalized the purchase of Bostik from Total S.A..
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Wikipedia