History
120 years ago, the wholesale and foreign trade merchant Wilhelm Ernst Hinrich Biesterfeld founded the company W. Biesterfeld & Co. in Hamburg. Initially the core of the business was in the salt trade, but subsequently chemicals and fertilisers also assumed high importance. The company started developing its own products and international trade began. Today, the Biesterfeld Group focuses on specialized market know-how, application-based technical advice and services and offers comprehensive product portfolios across numerous industries in the business units Standard Polymers, Engineered Polymers, Performance Polymers, Lifesciences, Industrial and Rubber.
| Today & the future |  |
Internationally operating company in family ownership with further expansion due
| 2024 |  |
Acquisition of Aerontec, South Africa
| 2024 |  |
Joint Venture Biesterfeld Hildose, India
| 2021 | |
Acquisition of GME Chemicals Group, Singapore
| 2019 | |
Acquisition of Lindberg & Lund Group, Norway
| 2016 | |
Acquisition of Schütz & Co. (GmbH & Co. KG), Germany
| 2016 |  |
Foundation of Biesterfeld Performance
Rubber GmbH
| 2015 | |
Joint Venture Biesterfeld Simko Distr. Ltda,
Brasilia
| 2013 | |
Joint Venture Biesterfeld Nordic AB, Sweden
and acquisition of Küttner GmbH, Germany
| 2008 | |
Acquisition of Milar Sp. z o.o., Poland
| 2007 | |
Founding of Biesterfeld ChemLogS GmbH
| 2006 | |
Joint Venture Biesterfeld Petroplas Ltd.,
Great Britain
| 2006 |  |
Company name change of
Biesterfeld Siemsglüss International GmbH
to Biesterfeld International GmbH
| 2005 |  |
Takeover of Biesterfeld
Siemsglüss International GmbH
| 2004 |  |
Change in the parent company's legal status
from Wilhelm E. H. Biesterfeld GmbH & Co. KG
to Biesterfeld Aktiengesellschaft
| 2003 | |
Joint Venture Biesterfeld Chemiedistribution GmbH & Co. KG with Brenntag, sale 2010
| 2001 | |
Founding of Biesterfeld Ibérica S.L.U., Spain
| 2000 | |
Founding of Biesterfeld Siemsglüss International GmbH and Biesterfeld Interowa GmbH, Austria
| 2000 | |
Founding of BIT-SERV GmbH: In-house and third party solutions for internet, data processing and networking applications
| 1998 | |
Founding of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie GmbH
| 1994 | |
Joint Venture of Scheibler and Linssen to Biesterfeld Scheibler Linssen GmbH & Co. KG headquartered in Hamburg
| 1988 | |
Founding of Biesterfeld Plastic GmbH and new subsidiaries in France, Italy, Poland and Spain
| 1980s |  |
Expansion in the Asian region with subsidiaries
in China, Hong Kong and Indonesia
| 1981 |  |
The core areas of the new company
Wilhelm E. H. Biesterfeld Group are: The chemical business, import, export, packaging materials, salt, agrochemicals and international freight forwarding
| From 1977 |  |
Production of own-brand household papers "Julia", this segment belongs to the company until the beginning of the 1990s
| 1976 | |
Founding of subsidiaries Biesterfeld do Brasil Ltda., Brazil and Biesterfeld U.S., Inc., USA
| 1970 |  |
After the death of Walter Biesterfeld, his son,
Dirk J. Biesterfeld, inherits the company as a personally liable partner
| 1964 | |
Company founder Wilhelm Biesterfeld dies aged 84, his nephew and adopted son, Walter Biesterfeld, ensures the continuous growth of the company
| 1961 | |
Founding of the first European subsidiary
in the Netherlands
| 1956 |  |
Company headquarters move to Ferdinandstraße 41 in the centre of Hamburg
| From 1950 |  |
The company has its own subsidiaries in the business divisions of import and export of chemicals, salt and fertilisers, as well as chemical businesses; founding of the Biesterfeld Packaging division
| 1945 | |
Takeover of the chemical plant Gunter, Schröder & Co. in Hamburg-Harburg with its own storage and transshipment facilities
| 1930s |  |
Expansion of the three main pillars: Salt, chemicals and fertiliser trade
| 1930 |  |
Sole selling rights for evaporated salts in certain areas of northern and eastern Germany
| 1920 - 1925 |  |
Operation of the Biesterfeld Shipping Company
| 1918 |  |
Thriving salt trade with rock salt from northern Germany
| 1906 | |
Wilhelm Ernst Hinrich Biesterfeld moves into a small office in Hamburg and starts trading in salt