Rohm and Haas
Encyclopedia
Rohm and Haas Company, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
based company, manufactures miscellaneous materials. Formerly a Fortune 500 Company, Rohm and Haas employs more than 17,000 people in 27 countries, with its last sales revenue reported as an independent company at USD
8.9 billion. On July 10, 2008, The Dow Chemical Company
agreed to buy Rohm and Haas for $17.29 billion. Dow Chemical completed its acquisition of Rohm and Haas on April 1, 2009.
The company was founded in Esslingen, Germany
by Dr. Otto Röhm
and Mr. Otto Haas in 1907. Haas moved to Philadelphia and began the American side of the business on September 1, 1909, from an office on Front Street, while Otto Röhm remained in Germany to run a company that would eventually become Röhm GmbH
. The American company grew rapidly as World War I
approached, because of their initial invention, a synthetic substitute (brand name Oropon) for fermented dog dung,
which was used for bating leather
(part of the old tanning process); leather was needed for the war in large quantities for belts and saddles.
The company again grew rapidly as World War II
approached, as it manufactured Plexiglas acrylic, a clear plastic which was needed for aircraft canopies. They sold this part of the business in 1998 to Elf Atochem (now Arkema
).
In 1965 Rohm and Haas moved from its Washington Square
headquarters to a new headquarters on the Independence Mall
a few blocks away. The new Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters
was designed Pietro Belluschi
and George M. Ewing Co. (now EwingCole).
In 1999 Rohm and Haas acquired the Morton Salt
company, which operates as a division of Rohm and Haas today.
The main products of Rohm and Haas are specialty materials, advanced chemistry that allows end use products to have a particular characteristic — low-odor, water-based paints, sunscreens with greater SPF functionality, or more powerful semiconductor chips, for example.
On July 10, 2008 Rohm and Haas announced it was being bought by Dow Chemical Company
for US$18.8 billion (9.68 billion €). Rohm and Haas will continue doing business under its name and will remain in its Philadelphia headquarters. Dow Chemical tried to back out of acquiring Rohm and Haas, when a deal to form a joint venture with Kuwait Petroleum that would give Dow money to buy Rohm and Haas failed.
On 2 April 2009, it was reported that Morton Salt was being acquired by German fertilizer and salt company K+S for a total enterprise value
of US$1.7bn.[3] The sale, completed by October 2009, was in conjunction with the Dow Chemical Company's takeover of Rohm and Haas.[4][5]
Dow announced their intent to sell the Rohm and Haas Powder Division.
On February 12, 2006, eleven workers were hospitalized after being exposed to fumes that leaked out of the Rohm and Haas Corporation chemical plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. On February 15, 2006, a mechanical employee died when working on a steam ejector due to the inhalation of hydrogen sulfide gas. An investigation determined that since the sewer vent was plugged, the hydrogen sulfide gas accumulated into large concentrations that became lethal.
On April 25, 2006, Rohm and Haas, along with other defendants, were filed civil action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for failing to prevent the toxic spills, to employ adequate groundwater practices, and to warn residents of any potential presence of underground contamination. This led to 18 filed cases of brain tumors and cancers among local residents of Ringwood, Illinois
.
As early as 1980, the companies McCullom Lake factory located in McHenry County, Illinois
, underwent investigation for contamination of the town's groundwater. Studies, paid for by Rohm and Haas, showed the groundwater never affected the town's well water. The company is now one of five corporations undergoing a class-action lawsuit filed by the towns residents, claiming a direct correlation to 31 out of 1,074 residents experiencing some type of brain or pituitary gland cancer. The Northwest Herald
published a six-piece investigative story on the lawsuits and residents, claiming to reveal a blatant "mishandling" of the entire affair on the part of local health officials and Rohm and Haas.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
based company, manufactures miscellaneous materials. Formerly a Fortune 500 Company, Rohm and Haas employs more than 17,000 people in 27 countries, with its last sales revenue reported as an independent company at USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
8.9 billion. On July 10, 2008, The Dow Chemical Company
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
agreed to buy Rohm and Haas for $17.29 billion. Dow Chemical completed its acquisition of Rohm and Haas on April 1, 2009.
History
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
by Dr. Otto Röhm
Otto Röhm
Otto Karl Julius Röhm was one of the founders and a longtime president of the Röhm und Haas chemical company which became later in the USA the Rohm & Haas PLC and in Germany the Röhm GmbH .- Life :After completion of an apprenticeship as pharmacy assistant he started to study pharmacy at...
and Mr. Otto Haas in 1907. Haas moved to Philadelphia and began the American side of the business on September 1, 1909, from an office on Front Street, while Otto Röhm remained in Germany to run a company that would eventually become Röhm GmbH
Evonik Industries
Evonik Industries is an industrial corporation in Germany owned by RAG Foundation and one of the world´s leading specialty chemicals companies. It was created on 12 September 2007 as a result of restructuring of the mining and technology group RAG...
. The American company grew rapidly as World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
approached, because of their initial invention, a synthetic substitute (brand name Oropon) for fermented dog dung,
which was used for bating leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
(part of the old tanning process); leather was needed for the war in large quantities for belts and saddles.
The company again grew rapidly as World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
approached, as it manufactured Plexiglas acrylic, a clear plastic which was needed for aircraft canopies. They sold this part of the business in 1998 to Elf Atochem (now Arkema
Arkema
Arkema is a French producer of chemicals headquartered in Colombes, near Paris, France.Created in 2004 when French oil major Total restructured its Chemicals business, Arkema has 14,000 employees in more than 40 countries, seven research centers worldwide, and a total of 80 production plants in...
).
In 1965 Rohm and Haas moved from its Washington Square
Washington Square (Philadelphia)
Washington Square, originally designated in 1682 as Southeast Square, is an open-space park in Center City Philadelphia's Southeast quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid by William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme. It is part of both the Washington Square West...
headquarters to a new headquarters on the Independence Mall
Independence National Historical Park
Independence National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Philadelphia that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National Park Service, the park comprises much of the downtown historic...
a few blocks away. The new Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters
Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters
The Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States is the headquarters for the chemical manufacturing company Rohm and Haas. Completed in 1964, the building was the first private investment for the urban renewal of the Independence Mall area. Only two blocks from...
was designed Pietro Belluschi
Pietro Belluschi
Pietro Belluschi was an American architect, a leader of the Modern Movement in architecture, and was responsible for the design of over one thousand buildings....
and George M. Ewing Co. (now EwingCole).
In 1999 Rohm and Haas acquired the Morton Salt
Morton Salt
Morton Salt is a United States company producing salt for food, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It is a subsidiary of the German company K+S.-History:The company began in...
company, which operates as a division of Rohm and Haas today.
The main products of Rohm and Haas are specialty materials, advanced chemistry that allows end use products to have a particular characteristic — low-odor, water-based paints, sunscreens with greater SPF functionality, or more powerful semiconductor chips, for example.
On July 10, 2008 Rohm and Haas announced it was being bought by Dow Chemical Company
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
for US$18.8 billion (9.68 billion €). Rohm and Haas will continue doing business under its name and will remain in its Philadelphia headquarters. Dow Chemical tried to back out of acquiring Rohm and Haas, when a deal to form a joint venture with Kuwait Petroleum that would give Dow money to buy Rohm and Haas failed.
On 2 April 2009, it was reported that Morton Salt was being acquired by German fertilizer and salt company K+S for a total enterprise value
Enterprise value
Enterprise value , Total enterprise value , or Firm value is an economic measure reflecting the market value of a whole business. It is a sum of claims of all the security-holders: debtholders, preferred shareholders, minority shareholders, common equity holders, and others...
of US$1.7bn.[3] The sale, completed by October 2009, was in conjunction with the Dow Chemical Company's takeover of Rohm and Haas.[4][5]
Dow announced their intent to sell the Rohm and Haas Powder Division.
Environmental record
On July 6, 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency charged Rohm and Haas of violating the Clean Air Act after inspecting a facility in Louisville, Kentucky. This faculty was claimed to not have repaired a deteriorated chemical storage tank, maintained a complete list of monitoring regulations, or removed an accumulation of hazardous wastes.On February 12, 2006, eleven workers were hospitalized after being exposed to fumes that leaked out of the Rohm and Haas Corporation chemical plant in Cincinnati, Ohio. On February 15, 2006, a mechanical employee died when working on a steam ejector due to the inhalation of hydrogen sulfide gas. An investigation determined that since the sewer vent was plugged, the hydrogen sulfide gas accumulated into large concentrations that became lethal.
On April 25, 2006, Rohm and Haas, along with other defendants, were filed civil action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for failing to prevent the toxic spills, to employ adequate groundwater practices, and to warn residents of any potential presence of underground contamination. This led to 18 filed cases of brain tumors and cancers among local residents of Ringwood, Illinois
Ringwood, Illinois
Ringwood is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The Ringwood post office was established in the early 1900s to provide post office boxes for local industrial firms and residents located on the far northern edge of McHenry. Ringwood was incorporated as a village on 15 November...
.
As early as 1980, the companies McCullom Lake factory located in McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...
, underwent investigation for contamination of the town's groundwater. Studies, paid for by Rohm and Haas, showed the groundwater never affected the town's well water. The company is now one of five corporations undergoing a class-action lawsuit filed by the towns residents, claiming a direct correlation to 31 out of 1,074 residents experiencing some type of brain or pituitary gland cancer. The Northwest Herald
Northwest Herald
The Northwest Herald is a daily newspaper published in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The paper has a circulation of nearly 33,000 with a coverage area of McHenry County and northern Kane County in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago....
published a six-piece investigative story on the lawsuits and residents, claiming to reveal a blatant "mishandling" of the entire affair on the part of local health officials and Rohm and Haas.