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.
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.
„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
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.“
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.
Our journey began with the establishment of the company and our first R&D collaborations, including one with Chevron. From 2000 to 2007, we developed our first technology platform and engaged in further significant research partnerships – including Albemarle, bp, and Eastman.
A major turning point came with our acquisition by BASF in 2008, which opened up new perspectives for us. In the years that followed, BASF’s FCC laboratory was integrated into our operations, enabling us to conduct independent catalyst testing at the highest level. A major R&D contract for our fixed-bed technology further emphasized this development.
With the launch of the HetCatLabs and the extension of our R&D agreement between 2016 and 2019, we were able to further strengthen our position as a leading technology partner.
Since 2020, we have been successfully advancing our portfolio and technologies by introducing FCC catalyst testing with the new Micro Downflow Unit, while also expanding into new market segments such as electrocatalysis and battery materials.
We now look ahead to the next 25 years – full of exciting challenges, continued growth, and new achievements!
Our 25th anniversary in 2024 was a very special opportunity to look back on this exciting journey. We used this moment to thank our amazing team as well as our loyal customers and partners. Your support has made our success possible in the first place!
Take a look at our anniversary video and celebrate 25 years of innovation, collaboration, and growth with us.
Following our anniversary video, you have the opportunity to dive even deeper into hte’s early days through a series of additional videos. Our founders share their personal stories, reflect on the challenges and achievements of the early years, and offer authentic insights into their close collaboration.
Get to know the people behind hte – their vision, their passion for technology, and their drive to build a company that is now successful on a global scale. These videos reveal how the foundations of our success story were laid and what continues to inspire us to this day.
Founder Armin Brenner
Founder John Newsam
Founder Wolfram Stichert
Founder Ferdi Schüth
Founder Stephan Schunk
Founder Dirk Demuth
