Customer focus, high quality standards and future visions have characterised Haltermann Carless for generations and have made us a global market leader in many of our product lines. The tradition and the creative power of our company's founders, which dates back to 1859, have been both an obligation and a driving force for us ever since.
As one of the oldest chemical companies, we have always played a pioneering role in selected niche markets and applications. We have been successful in reinventing ourselves in order to provide our customers with unique solutions. As an example, we are actively involved in promoting bio-based and thus sustainable technologies. We are also breaking new ground in the field of digitization, providing additional value-added services to our customers.
Our extraordinary history is an example of how flexibility leads to success in the chemical business. Our roots combine the work of two extraordinary individuals - Eugene Carless and Johann Haltermann. In 2013, both companies were merged to form Haltermann Carless. Nowadays, Haltermann Carless is the traditional brand of the HCS Group and combines the strengths of both companies. Thus, we feel well positioned for the years to come.
Eugene Carless
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In 1859, the chemist Eugene Carless set himself up in Hackney Wick, in what is now Central London, as a distiller and refiner of mineral oils. He founded the company Carless, Capel & Leonard and developed a new volatile product which was marketed under the name "Petrol". In the “Petrol” age towards the end of the 19th century, the company was virtually the only British source of highly refined motor fuel. The company was acquired by Petrochem in 2000 and renamed Petrochem Carless before being merged with Haltermann in 2013. |
Johann Haltermann
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Meanwhile, in 1898, another company was founded in the port of Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg, Germany, which later became known as Johann Haltermann Mineralöl AG. The business started as a tar distillery, refining crude tar from the local gas works and eventually became a pioneer in the development of hydrocarbon specialities. In 2003, Dow Chemical acquired Haltermann and sold it to the financial investor H.I.G. Capital in 2011, thus laying the foundations of the new holding company, the HCS Group.
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Click here to learn more about the history of Carless and Haltermann – from 1859 until today.