Solvay: History of a Multinational Family Firm

Oversized hardcover, xviii + 630 pages, b&w photos in text, weight 1.1kg, NOT ex-library. Book is clean and bright throughout with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Untorn dust jacket shows gentle wear. -- This is the first scholarly history of the Solvay company, one of the world's earliest and most successful chemical multinationals. The book covers 150 years (1863-2013) of the firm's evolution from a family-run partnership into a global industrial leader. It details how Ernest Solvay patented a revolutionary process for making soda ash in 1863, which was cleaner and more cost-effective than the previous Leblanc process. The narrative tracks the company's expansion from soda ash into plastics, peroxides, and pharmaceuticals, including major milestones like the acquisition of Rhodia in 2011. The authors examine the firm's "calculated generosity," such as building housing, schools, and hospitals for workers in remote areas to ensure loyalty while simultaneously opposing labour unions.…