On 28th April 2021 we were proud and grateful to celebrate 100 years of Scott Bader.
Such a long journey that has not been short of excitement, achievement and challenge.
Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this incredible milestone.
Join us as we reflect on the many highlights of the past 100 years, remembering the events that made us the company we are today, sharing news about how we celebrated and our plans for the next 100 years.
Scott Bader starts trading and becomes the sole agent for a Swiss manufacturer of Celluloid.
Ernest Bader becomes the English agent to a German firm who make the first low viscosity nitrocellulose. This reduced the time taken to paint a car from days to hours and created a harder, glossier and more resistant finish.
Scott Bader & Co introduces ‘Albertols’, the first oil soluble synthetic resin developed in Germany and a game changer for the English paint industry.
Move to larger office in Broad Street Place, London.
Increased sales of penny windmills, manufactured using Celluloid, meant another expansion to 109 Kingsway, which would remain ‘home’ for the next 30 years.
Scott Bader moves into manufacturing from its Kingsway office in the East End of London.
After considerable experimentation, Scott Bader launches Rubbone for stoving finishes.
WW2 and subsequent bombing causes Ernest Bader to consider a relocation outside of London. An almost forgotten village in Northamptonshire called Wollaston was chosen as the new home of Scott Bader & Co Ltd.
During the evacuation to Wollaston in March, the Stratford factory and stores are bombed, and then the office in Kingsway in April. Then most unexpectedly, the new Wollaston factory was completely gutted by fire. Fortunately, no one is hurt in these disasters. By the end of the year the factory has been rebuilt.
New agreements signed to manufacture three completely new polyester products, the first styrenated polyesters available in Europe, meaning that Scott Bader plays a unique role in shaping the early history of the glass fibre reinforced plastics industry.
Further expansion is needed so another new large resin factory is built and the laboratories are extended. With the introduction of a range of resin-based textile printing pastes, export trade hits an all-time high accounting for more than 30% of turnover.
The commonwealth is formed. Ernest Bader makes the monumental decision to gift Scott Bader and Co Ltd to the newly created Scott Bader Commonwealth Ltd, a charitable trust wholly owned and controlled by its employees to create common wealth for all.
Ernest Bader announces that his son, Godric Bader, is to take over as Managing Director and that he would become Chairman, and a number of other senior appointments follow.
The Commonwealth Centre opens its doors. It hosts meetings, conferences, social activities and the all-important canteen that still serves the finest food today.
The Bryson Building is built, named after our first Chief Chemist, Courtney Bryson, who also discovered Wollaston Hall back in 1940. Built behind the hall, it provided a reinforced plastics laboratory and lecture theatre, plus additional office accommodation.
Ernest Bader retires and Godric Bader is appointed Chairman in his place.
We invest in a new European manufacturing plant based in Amiens, France.
Nicholas Broome becomes Managing Director allowing Godric Bader to focus on his role as Chairman. Nicholas fitted the role perfectly with his experience within the chemical industry and his realistic concept of modern management thinking.
The John Hand Laboratory opens to facilitate advanced polymer research, named after our first Technical Director.
We acquire a major holding in the Swedish resin firm AB Syntes.
Scott Bader receives the Queen's Award to Industry for technical innovation in surface coatings.
The Common Ownership Act is passed by Parliament, recognising common ownership companies in law. The first certificate is awarded to Scott Bader Company Limited.
Scott Bader Ireland opens, offering a ‘one-stop-shop” for GRP users in both Northern and Southern Ireland.
Scott Bader Inc opens in Hudson, Ohio, USA focussing on supplying Scott Bader’s range of Specialty Polymers and Rheology Modifiers. Soon after another site is opened in Scandinavia. We acquired Neidert Trading AB (founded in 1981), now the home of Scott Bader Scandinavia.
Scott Bader South Africa opens, trading as Scott Bader Pty. With a presence in South Africa for 30 years prior to this through a licensee, the Crystic® brand became well established and respected in South Africa over the previous 60 years.
Scott Bader Middle East (SBME) opens its production plant and offices, in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, UAE. Ideally positioned to manufacture and distribute the Crystic® brand range of polyester resins, vinyl esters and gelcoats.
Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic Scott Bader Eastern Europe opens, with the commercial offices in Prague and the warehouse in Mimoň.
Scott Bader Germany opens in Weiden, Bavaria, with a primary purpose to establish key business contacts throughout Germany, providing a range of synthetic resins and polymers for Pipes and Infrastructure, Building and Construction, Automotive, Marine, Wind Energy and Chemical Containment sectors.
Scott Bader opens a subsidiary company in Spain, which later becomes known as Scott Bader Ibérica. Located in the town of Sant Cugat del Vallés, Barcelona.
Scott Bader acquires full ownership of Chromos tvornica smola d.d, creating Scott Bader d.o.o in Zagreb, Croatia. The immediate priority was to bring the company’s processes, products and general organisation into line with the Scott Bader culture and ethos.
Having licensed UPR technology to China since the 1960s we cement this operation and opening our own Scott Bader Asia Pacific site in Shanghai. Even today those early Crystic® formulations are still in production.
In February, Scott Bader North America acquires ATC – Formulated Polymers; a Canadian manufacturer of innovative compounds for the composites market.
The Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award 2014 is jointly awarded to Godric Bader, Life President of Scott Bader, and to the Scott Bader Commonwealth for the better business model created by him and his family, which continues today as a cornerstone of the Scott Bader Group globally.
Scott Bader Japan KK opens, supplying customers with quality composite and adhesive products mainly in the wind energy, marine, land transportation, building and construction markets.
Scott Bader Australia Pty Ltd is formed following the official purchase of our long-standing distributor Summit Composites. Scott Bader Australia serves the Australian market through its branches in Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Scott Bader North America acquire a 110,000 square foot industrial unit on a 15-acre site in Mocksville, North Carolina. With further investment, the site will be developed into a state-of-the-art gelcoat and structural adhesives manufacturing facility. Scott Bader Mocksville is our second North American manufacturing site, set to be fully operational by Q1 2023.
Scott Bader Pvt Ltd (India) becomes the Group's newest site, acquiring the commercial business of Satyen Polymers Pvt Ltd.