COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY

COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY

William Colgate founded the Colgate Company in 1806 as a starch, soap and candle business in New York City. For the first hundred years, the company did all its business in United States. However, in the early 1900s, the company began an aggressive expansion programme that has led to the establishment of Colgate operations in countries throughout Europe, Latin American and the Far East. In recent years it set up operations in Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Europe and China. Colgate-Palmolive became a truly global consumer products company, worth $8.7 bn and selling in more than 200 countries.

Colgate-Palmolive’s five main sectors of business are: Oral Care, Body Care, Household Surface Care, Fabric Care and Pet Nutrition and Health Care. In the area of Oral Care, Colgate-Palmolive is the world leader in toothpaste. As a result of the company’s heavy investment in research and technology, it has developed and toothbrushes. To strengthen its presence in professional products, Colgate-Palmolive bought the Ora Pharm Company of Australia and the dental therapeutic business of Scherer Laboratories USA in 1990. For many years, the company has had a strong dental education programme in schools throughout the world and has maintained a close partnership with the international dental community. Recently it has created a web site for dental professionals

The company has always paid close attention to the environment. It has already made great progress in the use of recyclable bottles and packaging materials.