It all started with the key question in catalyst research: How can the optimum catalyst for a chemical reaction be found both quickly and efficiently? The company was born out of this challenge.
„The founding years of hte were the most exciting and challenging years of my professional life. They involved getting ideas off the ground, convincing customers, and establishing a customer-oriented structure. Now I’m simply really proud of hte and its employees!“ Ferdi Schüth, Founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board until 2003
„The founding years of hte were the most exciting and challenging years of my professional life. They involved getting ideas off the ground, convincing customers, and establishing a customer-oriented structure. Now I’m simply really proud of hte and its employees!“
Ferdi Schüth, Founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board until 2003
hte traces its roots back to the Goethe University in Frankfurt and the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mühlheim an der Ruhr. This is where Professor Ferdi Schüth conducted research in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and recognized the potential to significantly accelerate the development of catalysts by using high throughput technologies. Ferdi then got several of his employees excited about the idea – and just a few months later, the team had already developed the prototype of a parallel reactor and validated the technology. The quality of the data was outstanding, and it became apparent that the catalytic experiments could be accelerated by a factor of 50 to 100.
However, definitive proof of the economic and industrial benefits was still lacking. The team of researchers therefore decided to contact the catalyst R&D department at BASF targeting to setting up a joint research and development project. This marked the start of a highly successful cooperation with a strong partner.
The first plans for founding a company began to take shape during this time. On March 26, 1999, the seven founders then put their rather unusual idea into practice and “hte – the high throughput experimentation company” was officially launched.
„What makes hte special is its unique culture. The enthusiasm for tackling new challenges. This is one-of-a-kind and still palpable even after many years, despite the growth.“ Dirk Demuth, founder and CEO until 2012
„What makes hte special is its unique culture. The enthusiasm for tackling new challenges. This is one-of-a-kind and still palpable even after many years, despite the growth.“
Dirk Demuth, founder and CEO until 2012
Since its founding in 1999, hte has continuously evolved and grown into a strong and innovative company. Over the past 25 years, we have reached numerous milestones and consistently embraced new challenges to develop forward-looking solutions for our customers around the world.
„One thing that hasn’t changed since the company was founded is the hte spirit. No matter how big the challenge, we at hte can handle it. We are fast and motivated, flexible and target-oriented. You really get a sense of this when walking through the corridors at the company. Our customers also appreciate it.“ Wolfram Stichert, founder and CEO from 2013 to 2025
„One thing that hasn’t changed since the company was founded is the hte spirit. No matter how big the challenge, we at hte can handle it. We are fast and motivated, flexible and target-oriented. You really get a sense of this when walking through the corridors at the company. Our customers also appreciate it.“
Wolfram Stichert, founder and CEO from 2013 to 2025
Our journey began with the founding of the company and initial R&D collaborations with BASF and Chevron. From 2000 to 2007, we developed our first technology platform and entered into further significant research partnerships — including with Albemarle, bp, and Eastman.
A major turning point came in 2008 with our acquisition by BASF, which opened up new perspectives. In the years that followed, the FCC laboratory was established, enabling independent catalyst testing at the highest level. During the same period, a comprehensive contract research agreement was signed with Sabic.
Since 2020, we have been successfully advancing our portfolio and technologies by introducing FCC catalyst testing with the new micro downflow unit (MDU), while also entering new market segments in electrolysis and battery materials.
Now we look ahead to the next 25 years — full of exciting challenges, further development, and success!
Our 25th anniversary in 2024 was a very special occasion to reflect on hte’s exciting development. We took this moment as an opportunity to thank our amazing team with a joint celebration.
A glimpse of it is captured in our anniversary video:
A significant part of hte’s development is closely tied to our founding team. Following our anniversary video, you’ll have the opportunity to gain deeper insights into hte’s early days through a series of additional videos.
In these, our founders share their personal stories, talk about the challenges and successes of the early years, and provide authentic insights into their close collaboration.
Learn more about the people behind hte — about their vision, their passion for technology, and their motivation to build a company that is now successful worldwide. These videos highlight how the foundation for our success story was laid and what continues to drive us today.
Founder Armin Brenner
Founder John Newsam
Founder Wolfram Stichert
Founder Ferdi Schüth
Founder Stephan Schunk
Founder Dirk Demuth
hte has been a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF since 2008. The financial standing of the BASF Group has significantly strengthened our position in the market for lab-scale R&D workflows.
We enjoy a leading role in the field of lab-scale R&D workflows. This is all thanks to our unique team of experts. Together, we tackle our customers’ challenges professionally, quickly, and passionately. Curious about the brains behind all of this? Then discover more about how we work here.
In 1999, hte was a start-up with an unusual idea. With over 350 employees, today we are the global market leader in the field of lab-scale R&D workflows.
Our turnkey solutions are exactly what your lab needs. Discover our broad range of flexible test systems that take your research projects to the next level.
You can rely on our comprehensive lab-scale R&D workflows and in-depth application expertise. Our laboratory has more than 50 test systems that can quickly provide you with high-quality results. Learn all about the catalyst and material research possibilities we can cover here.
Benefit from our expertise in downscaling your commercial process to lab- scale. Find out more about how we support you in developing and optimizing your processes, as well as evaluating new raw materials.
