Evonik Corporation celebrated 60 years of production at its Nutrition & Care production site in Janesville, Wisc., with current and former employees, executives, and local dignitaries. The anniversary was marked by plant tours and presentations from the various Evonik business lines that Janesville serves.

The 85 employees at Evonik’s Janesville site manufacture ingredients for a variety of consumer and industrial products including fabric softeners, paper additives, car sprays, hair conditioners, skincare and sun screen. The site also produces materials for industrial uses in drilling muds and metal working fluids.

“To celebrate 60 years here at Janesville is a true testament to the employees, some of whom have been here for more than 45 years!” said David DelGuercio, senior vice president and general manager, Nutrition & Care, Americas. “These highly skilled workers make products that help improve our daily lives. To meet that goal, the focus on safety, quality and reliability must be unrelenting, and we applaud them for reaching this milestone today.”

The Janesville site got its start in 1957 as the Varney Chemical Company. It was initially formed to satisfy the needs of consumers who longed for softer water. Today, it consists of two production areas, three warehouses and three laboratories. Even in Evonik’s current product portfolio, some trade names still reflect the name of the original owner, for example, VARISOFT® and VARIQUAT®. The site changed hands a number of times over the years before being purchased by Goldschmidt Chemical Corp in 1999. Two years later, Degussa purchased Goldschmidt. Then, in 2007, Degussa changed its name to Evonik. Evonik marked its 10^th anniversary as a company that operates globally under this name in September.