DuPont deNemours (NYSE:DD) is a leading chemical company which produces chemicals for agricultural, construction, electronics, energy, health care, and manufacturing applications. It is especially known for synthetic fibers, paints and coatings, synthetic building surfaces, and automotive products. While it is mainly a commercial and industrial manufacturer, DuPont deNemours products do have consumer applications that range from countertops and flooring to the hugely successful Teflon anti-stick coating that is practically synonymous with non-stick cooking utensils.
DuPont deNemours Today
DuPont, which owes its leading position and near-constant growth to its strengths in R&D, has 55,000 empolyees and operates in over 70 countries, and its 3Q2010 sales figures reached $7 billion. DD stock price range for the past year has been 31.88 - 50.54, and it presently trades near its high.
Major recent DuPont deNemours news includes its planned $6 billion takeover of leading enzyme and food ingredients producer Danico.
The History of DuPont deNemours - A Family of Innovators
Eleuthiere Irenee duPont deNemours, a French immigrant, founded duPont deNemours as a gunpowder works in 1802. This gunpowder works was located near Wilmington, Delaware, where duPont deNemours is still headquartered today.
A talented chemist who had studied with the French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, the company founder was an innovator who adopted the most up-to-date manufacturing techniques and equipment. E. I. duPont deNemours gained a reputation for a high quality and reliable gunpowder product made with the finest components and the most up-to-date equipment.
His sons and grandsons maintained the founder's committment to quality and innovative gunpowder, and in 1902 another branch of the duPont deNemours family entered and eventually purchased the enterprise. It was this branch of the family that transformed the gunpowder works into a research driven chemical company. Under the new owners, the firm diversified into paints, coatings and dyes, and later plastics and synthetic fibers would join paints and coatings as the main products of duPont deNemours. Indeed, it was at this time that Alfred I. duPont and his brothers established the research labs that continue to guide duPont deNemours as it develops new products for new industries and applications.
