Overview

In 1964 Dr. Werner Kolb founded Kolb AG in Hedingen, Switzerland. It now employs around 260 people worldwide who are all committed to upholding its international reputation as an innovative and dynamic supplier of nonionic surfactants, process chemicals and services to the paper industry. Kolb is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Malaysian multinational KLK (Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad).
 

Wide-ranging expertise

Kolb is one of Europe's major alkoxylate manufacturers with a wide range of nonionic surfactants and a presence in approx. 40 countries.
Other mainstay activities of the company include esterification and methylation. Furthermore, Kolb possesses a flexible business model that is tailored to the demands of the market. Kolb welcomes strategic partnerships through which it can draw on its own expertise in the best possible way for the benefit of its partners. Another aspect of the company's core business lies in the provision of complex solutions to the international paper industry, an area in which Kolb is a European market leader.

Locations

The headquarters of the Kolb Group are located in Hedingen, Switzerland, where around 200 employees work on the development, manufacture and marketing of surfactants and process chemicals. Kolb Moerdijk in the Netherlands is another surfactant manufacturing facility that employs approx. 60 people. Kolb sales companies have been established in Germany, France and the Netherlands to strengthen the company's market development activities.

Kolb in transition

Kolb was acquired by the Malaysian multinational KLK (Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad) in 2007. KLK's headquarters are located in Malaysia. Its core business is the manufacture of palm oil and derivatives. Palm oil can be used to produce fatty acids and fatty alcohols amongst others, raw materials that are used by Kolb in its products

Sustainability 

The company has a reputation for innovation and social responsibility. It focuses its activities on its customers, its highly dedicated workforce and its partners. The company views quality, customer service as well as health, safety and the environment (HSE) as its key priorities. Environmental and safety aspects form an important role in a product's development.

Past -- present -- future

Kolb is well equipped for its global future thanks to its innovative, customer-specific products and services, which are geared towards problem-solving, its international market presence and its highly motivated employees. The company is guided by a set of principles that include a commitment to experience and innovation, reliability and flexibility.