The small soap and candle business that William Colgate began in New York City early in the 19th century is now, more than years later, a truly global company serving hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide. Throughout this history, Colgate people and Colgate values have been at the heart of our success. Johnson opens a soap factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which later becomes the Palmolive Company. Cashmere Bouquet, the first milled perfumed toilet soap, is registered as a Colgate trademark.
Johnson Soap Co. Today, the Palmolive equity is sold in over 88 countries in 54 variants. Stylish Palmolive advertising begins, emphasizing ingredient purity and product benefits. Our product line includes over different products. Colgate is incorporated by the five sons of Samuel Colgate. Colgate distributes two million tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes to schools and hygienists to demonstrate tooth brushing.
Colgate establishes its first international subsidiary in Canada. Mark L. Morris develops a pet food to help save a guide dog named Buddy from kidney disease. Ajax cleanser is launched, establishing a powerful now-global brand equity for cleaning products. Palmolive dishwashing liquid is introduced. Today, it is sold in over 35 countries. Colgate toothpaste adds MFP Fluoride, clinically proven to reduce cavities.
In , Irish Spring is introduced in North America. Caprice hair care launches in Mexico. Today, hair care products are sold in over 70 countries, with variants to suit every type of hair need.
Colgate Plus toothbrush is introduced. Today, over 1. If you lined them up end to end, they would circle the globe 16 times. Protex bar soap is introduced, and today offers all-family antibacterial protection in over 56 countries. Colgate acquires Softsoap liquid soap business from the Minnetonka Corporation. Today, Colgate is the global leader in liquid hand soap.
Today, its product portfolio has expanded to include all-purpose cleaners, sprays and wipes. Colgate acquires the Mennen Company. Today, Mennen products are sold in over 52 countries. Colgate-Palmolive Company's growth from a small candle and soap manufacturer to one of the most powerful consumer products giants in the world is the result of aggressive acquisition of other companies, persistent attempts to overtake its major U.
The company is organized around four core segments--oral care, personal care, home care, and pet nutrition--that market such well-known brands as Colgate toothpaste, Irish Spring soap, Softsoap liquid soap, Mennen deodorant, Palmolive and Ajax dishwashing liquid, Ajax cleanser, Murphy's oil soap, Fab laundry detergent, Soupline and Suavitel fabric softeners, and Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet pet foods. Colgate-Palmolive has operations in more than countries and generates about 70 percent of its revenue outside the United States.
In , when the company was founded by year-old William Colgate, it concentrated exclusively on selling starch, soap, and candles from its New York City-based factory and shop. Upon entering his second year of business, Colgate became partners with Francis Smith, and the company became Smith and Colgate, a name it kept until when Colgate purchased Smith's share of the company and offered a partnership to his brother, Bowles Colgate. Now called William Colgate and Company, the firm expanded its manufacturing operations to a Jersey City, New Jersey, factory in ; this factory produced Colgate's two major products, Windsor toilet soaps and Pearl starch.
During his tenure several new products were developed, including perfumes, essences, and perfumed soap. The manufacture of starch was discontinued in after a fire destroyed the factory.
In Colgate began selling toothpaste in a jar, followed 23 years later by the introduction of Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream, in the now familiar collapsible tube. By the company was also producing several varieties of laundry soap, toilet paper, and perfumes.
While the Colgate family managed its manufacturing operations on the East Coast, soap factories were also opened in by B. Johnson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin under the name B. In Johnson's company introduced Palmolive soap, which soon became the best-selling soap in the world and led the firm to change its name to the Palmolive Company in The Peets, who sold laundry soap mainly in the Midwest and western states, merged their company Peet Brothers with Palmolive in , forming Palmolive-Peet Company.
Palmolive-Peet's management initially assumed control of the combined organization. The three companies would continue to operate independently, but they would become subsidiaries of a holding company slated to be called International Quality Products Corporation. Just four days after the deal was signed, however, the stock market crashed, forcing the huge amalgamation to be scuttled.
In the wake of the crash, the Colgate family regained control of Colgate-Palmolive-Peet and installed Bayard Colgate as president in Colgate or its successor firm next created subsidiaries in the Philippines, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa in the late s. In the company moved into India and by the end of the s had operations in most of South America.
In the s and s the company also built upon its strategy of growth by acquisition, buying up a number of smaller consumer product companies. Organic growth remained on the agenda as well, and in the company introduced two of its best-known products, Fab detergent and Ajax cleanser. Meanwhile, the firm adopted its present name in and moved its offices for domestic and international operations to New York City in In George H. Lesch was appointed Colgate's president in the hopes that his international experience would produce similar success in the domestic market.
Under his leadership, the company embarked upon an extensive new product development program that created such brands as Cold Power laundry detergent, Palmolive dishwashing liquid, and Ultra Brite toothpaste.
In an attempt to expand beyond these traditional, highly competitive businesses into new growth areas, Colgate also successfully introduced a new food wrap called Baggies in As a result of these product launches, the company's sales grew between 8 and 9 percent every year throughout the s. Foster was the son of the founder of Colgate-Palmolive's U. He joined the company in as a management trainee and rose through the sales and marketing ranks both in the United States and overseas.
During the s, as environmental concerns about phosphate and enzyme detergent products grew, the company faced additional pressure to diversify beyond the detergent business. In , for example, the company began selling British Wilkinson Sword Company razors and blades in the United States and other countries. It was originally hoped that the Kendall acquisition would bolster the pharmaceutical sales of Colgate's Lakeside Laboratories subsidiary, which had been acquired in The partnership never materialized, however, and Lakeside was sold in The Kendall business proved to be one of Foster's most successful acquisitions.
Within two years, the subsidiary was producing sales and earnings results well above the company's targeted goals. On the product development side, meanwhile, Irish Spring deodorant soap was introduced in In the U. Federal Trade Commission enacted restrictions on in-store product promotions, such as couponing. In response to these restrictions, Foster began to employ other tactics designed to enhance Colgate's visibility in the marketplace.
Two such programs awarded money to schools and local civic groups whose young people collected the most labels and boxtops from selected Colgate products. Under Foster, Colgate-Palmolive also began to sponsor a number of women's sporting events, including the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner's Circle, a women's professional golf tournament. Foster chose women's sports in an effort to appeal to Colgate-Palmolive's primarily female customer base.
He even went so far as to have Colgate buy the tournament's home course, the Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs, California, so that he could supervise the maintenance of the greens.
In Colgate acquired Helena Rubinstein, a major cosmetics manufacturer with strong foreign sales but a weak U. Believing that its marketing expertise could solve Rubinstein's problems, Colgate reduced both the number of products in the company's line and the number of employees in its workforce, increased advertising expenditures, and moved the products out of drugstores and into department stores.
Eaton Company, a golf and tennis shoe manufacturer. Although total U. It maintained its leadership position abroad through new product development geared specifically to local tastes throughout Europe as well as through its involvement in the growing markets of less-developed countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Foster's diversification strategy initially improved earnings, but Colgate's domestic sales, market share, and profit margins were beginning to soften.
This was due, in large part, to an economic recession and an advertising cutback the company had made in an attempt to boost earnings. It had no leading brands and few successful new product introductions because of reduced spending for research and development. Board Committees. Our Stories. Our History. Our Policies. Responsive Image. Our Brands. View Our Brands. Our Innovation Culture.
Maintaining Consumer Trust. Clinical Trials. Our Innovation Stories. Innovation History. Sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive. Sustainability Achievements. Our Sustainability Stories. Sustainability Policies. Our Community Impact.
Estrellas Colgate. Investor Center.
0コメント