Our History

TANATEX Chemicals B.V. started its activities on January 1st 2007.
Although this date was the start of a brand-new company, its roots and history go far back into the previous centuries.

TANATEX Chemicals B.V. is building on the fundaments of two well-known companies in the history of textile auxiliaries: Sybron/Tanatex and Bayer Chemicals.

Bayer was founded in 1863 by Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskott as a company to produce aniline-dyes. Later on also textile auxiliaries became part of the product portfolio.

Tanatex was founded in 1959 in Laren, Netherlands. First focus of this company was the development, production and marketing of carriers for the dyeing of polyester. In 1966 the company was relocated to Ede, Netherlands. In 1985 the company was taken over by US-company Sybron, resulting in the new name Sybron/Tanatex.

In 2000, German company Bayer acquired the worldwide operations of Sybron/Tanatex. The textile auxiliary divisions of both companies were merged into the business unit Textile Processing Chemicals (TPC).

In 2004 Bayer AG decided to combine the operations of the current Bayer Chemicals AG and a third of Bayer´s polymers business in a new independent company called LANXESS. The Business unit Textile Processing Chemicals, being part of Bayer Chemicals, was transferred to Lanxess AG as well. Lanxess went onto the stock market in 2005.

In 2006, Lanxess decided to divest the BU TPC. All the activities of the Textile Processing Chemicals (TPC) business unit outside of North America were acquired by the Dutch investor Egeria and the business unit management. The completion of this transaction took place by the end of the year 2006. Consequently the acquired Business Unit was renamed in TANATEX Chemicals.