COMPANY HISTORY
Bjørn Thorsen development journey
Company origin
Bjørn Thorsen A/S was established in Denmark in 1952 as a traditional distributor company of chemical products by its founder Bjørn Thorsen. Through the sixties and seventies, the portfolio was gradually extended to include a very large cross-section of raw materials for a wide variety of industries.
In 1993, the company was bought by the Adser family, benefiting from new capital injection and a brand-new management. The company’s strategy was changed to focus on specialties, by consolidating business with chosen suppliers, which were global leaders in their respective markets. It was decided to grow the company around four distinct business units, where we had high competence, market fit and synergies with key principals’ portfolio: Advanced Polymers, Coatings, Adhesives, Bitumen & Road marking.
Our company today
Nowadays, Bjørn Thorsen is still owned by the Adser family, who is actively involved in daily business and future development of the company. We are centered around same business units, while focused on providing solutions and added value to key principals. With most of them, we have been collaborating for more than 30 years, some have even reached milestones of 50 years. Over the last 20 years, many technical experts have joined the company, mastering their product knowledge in collaboration with our principals. This joint effort brings certainty, consistency and reliability to customers.
Creation of affiliates
Besides added value and certainty, we also bring innovative solutions to markets where we operate in. To support our distribution business and high shares in key markets, we have created several affiliated companies with end-goal of delivering innovation, sustainability, and overall extra value to the market. In 2015 and 2016, we signed two license agreements with ExxonMobil Chemical, which enabled the creation of two affiliates: Customized Compound Solutions A/S (CCS) for enhanced TPVs and Nordic Grafting Company A/S (NGC) for grafted performance polymers as compatibilizers.
Given the benefits these affiliates brought in supporting our solution provider strategy, we decided to duplicate the concept from solid to liquid formulations. Consequently, in 2017, Nordic Formulation Technologies A/S (NFT) was established to support customers with tailor-made liquid formulations.
To capture the synergies between three of our business units: coatings, adhesives and advanced polymers, while strengthening the collaboration with key suppliers, Digital Serigraphic Technologies A/S (DST) was acquired in 2020. DST provides consumables for heat transfers for textile & apparel decorations created via digital/DST/hydrid screenprinting and traditional screenprinting technologies.
Due to this platform of affiliates, we have now access to in-house lab facilities and solutions that complement our distribution offering, enabling sustainable growth opportunities. Leveraging our product and processing technology know-how, we are increasingly acting as a true solution provider both towards customers and principals!
Geographical expansion
Nordics & Baltics
Since its foundation in 1952, Bjørn Thorsen A/S was mostly focused on distributing products throughout Denmark and immediate surroundings. In 2008, we got the opportunity to take over a part of the ExxonMobil Chemical office in Sweden, by establishing the first office outside Denmark, in Göteborg, Sweden. This was the base for expanding our Nordic and Baltic activities. Expansion to Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania followed in upcoming years.
Asia-Pacific
Since 2018, we have been actively present in China, by launching the joint venture (JV) BT Solutions Zhuhai Co., Ltd. (BT Solutions). This JV focuses on Chinese demands for enhanced post-consumer and post-industrial recyclates and serves as a platform for commercialization of the entire BTG portfolio of specialty polymers and chemicals, as well as proprietary thermoplastic and functionalized compounds in China.
In 2019, our affiliates CCS and NGC together with our Chinese partner TechXanadu, have created a production and commercialization JV in China, Nordic Grafting & Compound Solutions Co., Ltd. (NGCS). NGCS produces advanced specialty compounds and compatibilizers targeted at replacing non-recyclable thermoset solutions with recycled thermoplastic solutions.
France, UK & Ireland
Starting from September 2020, we have expanded our geographical distribution territory and solution provider services to France, by bringing our solution provider concept shaped around tailored products, provided by CCS, NGC and NFT. Our activities on the French market are supported by Bjorn Thorsen SAS, the R&D and technical laboratory, created in 2019 and based in Lyon.
As of January 2020, Bjørn Thorsen broadened its innovative distribution approach to United Kingdom and Ireland by providing selected products in these markets.
