A century
of progress

Post-centennial, OQEMA continues to advance with a strong focus on digital innovation, operational excellence and strategic expansion. Its recent entry into the USA marks a bold step beyond Europe, reinforcing its global ambitions. With sustainability at its core, OQEMA integrates responsible practices across its supply chain—honouring its heritage while shaping the future of chemical distribution.

In line with its commitment to sustainability, the Gebrüder Overlack family company acquired the insolvent Lappen tree plantation, one of Europe’s five largest, with the goal of revitalizing it under the name Baum & Bonheur—die Lappen Baumschule (“Tree & Joy—the Lappen Tree Plantation”). As part of its 100th anniversary celebrations, the company honoured this legacy by planting trees at every OQEMA site, symbolizing growth, renewal and its dedication to a greener future.

In its 98th year, OQEMA established a new Board of Directors to guide the company’s strategic direction and corporate policy. The board comprises Peter Overlack, the long-serving CEO; Patrick Barthels, appointed Chief Sales Officer (CSO) overseeing sales and purchasing; and Hartmut Kunz, who joined as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Together, they form a leadership team dedicated to shaping OQEMA’s future and driving its continued growth.

In 2018, Overlack evolved into OQEMA. The new brand was designed to embody the company’s European vision for the future while fostering a consistent and unified identity across all group companies. The innovative name OQEMA—easy to pronounce in any language—preserves the essence of its heritage by incorporating the three vowels of Overlack in their original order.

With strategic backing from Hannover Finanz, OQEMA gained the financial strength to accelerate its European expansion. The Overlack family shifted to a governance role through the newly formed family office Gebrüder Overlack, reviving a historic name. This momentum led to the pivotal 2015 acquisition of Lansdowne Chemicals in the UK—OQEMA’s first major move into Western Europe. Since then, the company has rapidly expanded through new subsidiaries and acquisitions across the Netherlands, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Spain and Denmark, establishing itself as a pan-European leader.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 opened new horizons for growth. Even before becoming Managing Director, Peter Overlack led the company’s first eastward move by establishing a subsidiary in Leipzig in 1990. Upon his official appointment in 1992, expansion accelerated across Central and Eastern Europe—with new operations in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Slovenia—marking a bold and strategic shift into emerging markets.

In 1972, Gebrüder Overlack marked its 50th anniversary not with a traditional celebration, but with a meaningful act of giving. Highlighted in the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, the company donated a new Volkswagen van to the “Hephata” care facility—reflecting its deep-rooted commitment to community and the values that shaped its first five decades.

Even in the 1960s, an unspoken rule still prevailed: family businesses stayed in the family. This was true for Ludwig and Heinrich Overlack, whose sons, Hans and Eduard, stepped in to lead the company. Following in their fathers’ footsteps, Hans—13 years older than Eduard—took responsibility for operations, technology, finance and personnel in January 1963. Eduard later assumed leadership of sales at the start of 1966.

In January 1923, just seven months after the company’s founding, Curt Stäuber tragically passed away. Determined to secure the future of the business, Ludwig Overlack turned to his brothers, Ed and Heinrich, for support. Ed, the elder brother, was building his fortune at a tin mine in Bolivia and was asked to contribute the capital needed to sustain the company. Heinrich, the younger brother, stepped in to support operations by joining the business and helping it move forward.

On July 1st, 1922, Ludwig Overlack, a textile engineer, and Dr. Curt Stäuber, a chemist, came together to establish a chemical factory focused on producing textile auxiliaries. At the time, the textile industry in the western Lower Rhine region was thriving, with numerous spinning mills, weaving mills and textile equipment companies. Dyers and textile printers, in particular, required a steady supply of chemicals—and the two young entrepreneurs were determined to meet this growing demand.