History 1855 - 1918 The company was founded in 1855 by Karl Sophus Gustav Grolman, and has been run by the family ever since. The business was originally established as a chemical carrier company for the building industry, but became increasingly involved in selling raw materials. Around 1860 the company began distributing mineral fillers, especially china clay and talc. The paper and ceramics industries became important markets. The company expanded beyond Germany's borders, particularly into Russia. 1918 - 1945 However, the Russian arm was curtailed by the Russian Revolution in 1917. The next two decades saw the establishment and expansion of sales points in Germany, Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Southern Europe. 1945 - 1965 After 1945 political changes led to a halt of all sales outside Germany. During this time, sales of china clay and talc to the paper and ceramics industries still formed a key part of the company’s structure. 1965 - 1990 By the beginning of the ‘60s, the growth of the paints, coatings, rubber and plastics industries resulted in an increased demand for mineral fillers and other specialities. The company met the new challenges and opportunities by adding pigments from leading international producers to their product range. In 1988 Grolman acquired Lifocolor, a master-batch production in Lichtenfels, which helped to expand its knowledge of pigments and additives. In 1982 Dirk and Jürgen Grolman joined the company as two members of the fifth generation. 1990 - 2000 The product range of specialties was complemented with additives and binders. Technical sales focused on the core industries coatings, adhesives, sealants, building & construction, rubber and plastics, paper, pharma and cosmetic. 2000 - 2015 The group expanded its sales organisation into 35 European countries and founded sourcing offices in China and India. In 2007 a coatings application laboratory was opened in France and further plastics and coatings application laboratories followed in the subsequent years. Sales activities are efficiently backed up and monitored through a Europe-wide CRM-system, regularly updated directly from the field. Grolman established itself as one of the leading European distributors of speciality chemicals. Since 2004 Florian Grolman, another member of the fifth generation, has been working in the company. 2015 - 2021 Grolman opens sales offices in Turkey, Northern Africa, India and China and expands its product range and application laboratories to cosmetics. In 2017 Mike Dörsam joined the general management as the first non-family member and in 2019 with Clemens Grolman, the first member of the sixth generation started working in the company. Thanks to a clear focus on sustainable future technologies and end-customer needs Grolman continually develops new applications and application know-how. The increasingly participative organisation of our team of specialists enables us to understand volatility and complexity as opportunities in a dialogue with all our partners. GROLMAN GROUP Gustav Grolman GmbH & Co. KG Headoffice Fuggerstrasse 1 41468 Neuss | GERMANY Resources Imprint Privacy Contact Terms & Conditions +49 (2131) 93 68-01 +49 (2131) 93 68-264 info(at)grolman-group.com × Data privacy information We use cookies to enable you to make the best possible use of our website. Cookies necessary for operating the website are set. You can also allow cookies for statistics purposes. You can change privacy settings or directly allow all cookies. Click here for the privacy policy Change privacy settings Yes, I accept all cookies