Both fascinating and exciting, the company's history has been shaped largely by the family that sits at Jotun's helm: first came Odd Gleditsch Sr, then Odd Gleditsch Jr, and now Jotun is lead by the third generation, Odd Gleditsch d.y.
1926: Jotun Kemiske Fabriker A/S was founded by Odd Gleditsch together with Ole Aanderud Larsen and Jean B. Linaae. All three sat on the board, with Ole Aanderud Larsen acting as chairman while Odd Gledisch was the company's first general manager.
1930: Odd Gleditsch acquired Vera Fedtrafeneri, a vegetable oil refinery that had gone into liquidation.
1939: A pension fund was set up for all employees - a highly unusual move at the time.
1951: A new factory, complete with a large new laboratory, was finished at Gimle outside Sandefjord. Five engineers were taken on for the laboratory. Competitors thought this was madness, but Gleditsch justified it as follows: "Our future success depends on an investment in research and development."
1968: Vera Fabrikker stopped producing vegetable oils and started manufacturing pipelines and heating oil tanks from gass fibre-reinforced polyester.
Corro-Coat was founded in conjunction with Gunnar Myhre, who felt that powder coatings, a new concept at the time, had real potential.
1970: Odd Gleditsch Jr was appointed chairman of the board in May.
1972: The Merger of the largest paint manufacturers in Norway: Alf Bjercke, Fleischers Kjemiske Fabrikker, Denofa-Lilleborg's paint and synthetic resin business, and Jotun Odd Gleditsch. Odd Gleditsch Jr played a major diplomatic role in bringing about and implementing the merger. Had the merger not taken place, Norway would not now have a Norwegian-owned paint business of any size.
1976: The fire of 15 September 1976, was the most dramatic event in Jotun's 75-year history. Six people were killed instantly in a massive explosion and 11 were injured - two seriously. The paint factory in Sandefjord was totally destroyed, as were the resin plants, warehouses and laboratories. The company's R&D operation was hit extremely hard at the same time as much of the group's production capacity was wiped out. The managment found itself facing the enormous challenge of coming up with new production capacity, planning the rebuilding work, etc. The fire also put the company in an extremely difficult financial position, a state of affairs that was to last for four years.
1977: The rebuilt paint factory at Gimle started manufacturing paint once more in April.
1978: A new warehouse and distribution centre at Vindal came aboard and was Europe's most modern, computer-controlled high-bay warehouse at the time.
1985: Scandia Kjemiske in Oslo was taken over by Jotun.
1990: Jotun's founder, Odd Gleditsch Sr, died in January.
1991: A high-tech environmental factory opened at Vindal. This was the largest investment to date, and a factory for the future. Nodest, a paint manufacturer in Lier near Drammen, was taken over.
1995: Scanox AS was formed through the merger of Nodest and Scandia Kjemiske Fabrikker A/S.
1997: The polymer division was sold.
