The years from 1960-1985 saw DSM complete its transition from coal-mining
operation to a petrochemicals company. Coal mining in the Netherlands received
a body-blow from the discovery of natural gas in the country in 1959, and from
1965 DSM’s mining business was wound down, the last mine closing in 1975.
The company’s chemical activities, which had been developing steadily through
the 1950s, now underwent vigorous expansion. Plastics of all sorts were
beginning to play an increasingly important part in people’s lives, and DSM
was well-positioned to serve this market with raw materials. At the same time,
the company explored new fields, synthesizing organic chemical products as raw
materials or additives for pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs and animal feed. This
work would later turn out to contain the seeds of a new phase in DSM’s
evolution…
By the 1980s, DSM had changed beyond recognition. Between 1960 and 1970, the
contribution of chemicals to turnover had more than doubled, while that of
materials for plastic and fibers had increased tenfold. A radical
reorganization now turned DSM into a highly efficient, modern chemical
company, one that would be able to operate successfully in increasingly global
markets.
