Firmenich

The Firmenich International SA, based in Geneva, is an international Swiss flavors and fragrances maker and the world number two in the industry. Firmenich supplies food and cosmetics manufacturer with flavorings and perfumes worldwide.

The group employs in 64 countries worldwide total of over 6000 employees and achieved a turnover of 2.873 billion Swiss francs in the financial year 2009/2010. The company is wholly owned by the Firmenich family.

The main competitors are Givaudan Firmenich's ( Switzerland ), International Flavors & Fragrances ( USA) and Symrise ( Germany ).

History

The company was originally founded on 1 November 1895 as Chuit & Naef in Geneva by the Swiss chemist Philippe Chuit ( 1866-1939 ) and the merchant Martin Naef. 1898, the company employs in the west of the city about 30 employees. Chuit married Thérèse Firmenich and 1900 joined his brother Fred Firmenich into the now renamed company Chuit, Naef & Firmenich. 1902 Chuit was known Naef & Firmenich by the fragrance creations Violettone and Dianthine. 1903 followed Iralia, developed by Jean Bolle. François Coty use the new fragrances Violettone and Iralia for his perfume Origan (1905 ).

1910 took over Fred Firmenich, the shares in the company and was principal owner. He gave the company later renamed, Philippe Chuit traded from now on as an employee. 1921 brought Chuit the Croatian -Swiss chemist Leopold Ružička in the company Firmenich, who a year later Professor at the ETH Zurich was. Previously Ružička had also worked closely with the German company Haarmann & Reimer in wood Minden. After Philippe Chuits retreat in 1931 and Martin Naef retired two years later was 1934 then the company was renamed in Firmenich & Cie. .. Chuit died in 1939, the same year in which the research and development director of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded at Firmenich Leopold Ružička.

In 1972 the name was changed from Firmenich & Cie. in Firmenich SA and thus a corporation under the management of Fred -Henri Firmenich (CEO). With the inauguration of Pierre -Yves Firmenich's as the new CEO of the company in 1989, thus initiating the Firmenich in its third generation, the 1990 completed remodeling Firmenich's began in the holding company Firmenich International SA. Five years later, the company employed approximately 3,000 people worldwide.

Took place on 1 July 2002, again a generational change in the management of Firmenich. Patrick Firmenich has been CEO of the company in the 4th generation.

Expansion

Beginning in 1951, was also produced in La Plaine in the canton of Geneva. In 1962 Firmenich in Quito in Ecuador, the subsidiary Concesionaria Firmenich del Ecuador CA and in 1964 began construction of a 15-story headquarters in Geneva. The same year saw the establishment of Firmenich GmbH in Germany. With the establishment of the subsidiary Nihon Firmenich KK in Japan, the company continued its global expansion continued in 1968. Further expansion experienced Firmenich in 1976 by ​​building a new production facility in Meyrin - Satigny in Switzerland and nine years later by the establishment of the subsidiary Firmenich Limited in Australia. In the U.S., the company moved in 1986 by the purchase of the U.S. company CHEM Fleur based in Newark, New Jersey.

1994 expanded in the wake of globalization, Firmenich and established branches in Shanghai in the People's Republic of China ( there as part of a joint venture under the name of Firmenich Aromatics Co. Ltd. Suzhou. , Kunming Firmenich Aromatics later Co. Ltd.. ) In Mumbai India and Selangor in Malaysia. In 1995, in Bangkok, Thailand established a subsidiary and the South African company Darryl Gunther ( Proprietary) Ltd.. bought.

Opened in 1996, the Development Centre Georges Firmenich Center in Princeton, New Jersey, USA and it was taken over by production of Mrowna in Warsaw, Poland and the Tastemaker Inc. in Ibaraki, Japan. 1998 additional production in Castets, France (production of Furaneol ), Thirsk (North Yorkshire ) in the UK, Tampa, Florida (USA), Toluca in Mexico, Kunming in China and Daman, India were opened.

Firmenich opened in 1999 in Cologne a research and Emtwicklungslabor for personal care products and in Cotia, Brazil a perfume development center. In November 2002, the company acquired the Norwegian Bjørge Biomarin AS in Ålesund, a producer of natural seafood extracts.

Followed in 2005 by the acquisition of the U.S. company founded in 1939 Noville Essential Oil Company Inc. in South Hackensack, New Jersey. Noville busy 2005, around 150 employees and generated revenues of 22.5 million U.S. dollars.

In May 2007, Firmenich bought for 3.36 billion Danish crowns ( approximately CHF 730 million), the flavors division of the Danish Danisco Group based in Copenhagen. The business unit generated in 2006 with around 800 employees and annual sales of DKK 1.5 billion (approximately CHF 335 million) and produces natural or similar additives for the food, beverage and fragrance industry.

Important new developments

In 1908 the company launched the fragrance and flavoring Cyclosia by hydration of citronellal on the market, the current name is Hydroxycitronellal. Fourteen years later was the first time the synthesis of nerol, a fragrance for roses and floral fragrance compositions and of nerolidol, and three years later by Exaltone, which gained its generic name is Cyclopentadecanone. 1959 discovered the Firmenich fragrance hedione ( methyl Dihydrojasmonate ), which is similar to the jasmine and should become an important raw material for perfume production.

The introduction of Furaneol, a key component of various flavors (mainly strawberries and pineapple) dates from 1964. Through the introduction of the synthetic perfume muscone, the most important fragrance of natural musk, Firmenich learned seven years later a further boost. Another new synthetic fragrance was created in 1988 with ambrox, a synthetic form of Ambrein. In 1991, Firmenich synthetic fragrance Dynascone on the market, a combination similar to the smell galbanum, hyacinth and pineapple.