Our history

We have been based in Franconia for more than 70 years.

1948

Bill Gates began his career in a garage, and Retorte started out in 1948 in a rented apartment in Nuremberg as a chemical company manufacturing toothpaste, shoe polish and hairdressing supplies.

1949

In 1949, the young entrepreneur Ulrich Scharrer bought the small company. His goal was to produce pure selenium, which is used as a coating material for electrical components for converting alternating current into direct current.

1951

Just two years later, in 1951, the chemical company moved to Röthenbach a. d. Pegnitz, where it is still based today. It did not take long for Retorte Ulrich Scharrer GmbH to grow into one of Europe's leading manufacturers of high-purity selenium, supplying its products to customers such as Siemens, AEG and SEL. Expansion soon became essential, new production halls were built and technical processes were continuously optimised. The development of an oxygen-free high-purity selenium with outstanding electrical properties finally secured the company's breakthrough on the world market.

1972

In 1972, Ulrich Scharrer sold his company to Norddeutsche Affinerie, which also manufactured high-purity selenium. Retorte has therefore been a subsidiary since 1974.

1975

Difficult times began in 1975: with the development of computer chips, silicon established itself as a cost-effective alternative to selenium, and Retorte had to tap into new markets. Fortunately, the photocopying industry was also gaining momentum at this time, and Retorte collaborated with AEG and SEL to develop photocopier drums based on high-purity selenium alloys.

1990

But by the early 1990s, Retorte was once again facing a new beginning: global overproduction of selenium led to a dramatic drop in prices, and the photocopying industry replaced high-purity selenium with organic coatings.

1993

Once again, Retorte had to reinvent itself. In the 1990s, innovative products were continuously developed and new markets opened up, while Retorte also invested heavily in environmental protection. In 1998/99, Retorte returned to profitability for the first time in a long time.

2000

The efforts paid off: at the beginning of the 2000s, demand for selenium preparations in the medical sector rose – and Retorte was the only supplier worldwide able to offer selenium in the desired quality in large quantities.

Today

Retorte continues to develop and face new challenges on the global market. Today, Retorte not only produces and markets the raw selenium of its parent company, but also that of other copper smelters. Customers benefit from high performance, competitive prices, excellent delivery availability and compliance with the highest environmental standards.