Hoechst AG

Hoechst AG was a German multinational chemicals and pharmaceuticals company founded in 1863 in Höchst, near Frankfurt am Main, originally as 'Teerfarbenfabrik Meister, Lucius & Co.' by Eugen Lucius. Starting with synthetic dye production, the company rapidly expanded from five employees in 1863 to 1,900 by 1883, when it launched Kairin, the first synthetic drug. Throughout its 136-year history, Hoechst evolved from a small dyestuffs manufacturer into one of the world's largest chemical and pharmaceutical companies. The company was a co-founder of IG Farben in 1925 and was re-established as an independent entity in 1951 after the post-war dissolution of IG Farben. By the 1990s, Hoechst had grown to operate in 120 nations globally, employing over 170,000 people with annual sales of 46 billion Deutsche Marks. The company made significant acquisitions including Celanese in 1987 and Marion Merrell Dow in 1995, forming subsidiaries like Hoechst Celanese and Hoechst Marion Roussel. Hoechst was instrumental in the development of modern pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, contributing breakthrough innovations in synthetic drugs, dyestuffs, and chemical manufacturing processes. The company's transformation from dyestuffs to life sciences reflected broader industry evolution throughout the 20th century. In 1999, Hoechst AG ceased to exist as an independent entity when it merged with French pharmaceutical company Rhône-Poulenc to form Aventis S.A., headquartered in Strasbourg. The merger was completed on December 15, 1999, with Hoechst becoming an intermediate holding company until 2004, when Aventis merged with Sanofi-Synthélabo to form Sanofi-Aventis, marking the end of the Hoechst name in corporate history.