Early history

Since the mid 1970’s, the Kelders Group has created and managed numerous successful businesses in plastics moulding and technical packaging, driven by product innovation. Central to this success has been a select group of world-class product developers and innovators, which has grown over the years, and who have always remained employed directly by the Kelders family.

1976 - 1985
Based in the Netherlands, Merlin CTC was the first major Kelders business venture and achieved a leading position as a developer and manufacturer of replaceable cassettes for typewriters. Growing into a company employing over 100 people, In 1985, Merlin CTC was successfully divested to the leading stationary and office group Pelikan AG.

1985 - 1992
Following their acquisition of Merlin CTC, Pelikan AG appointed Mr Kelders senior as General Manager for The Netherlands, Germany and UK. In 1988 Mr Kelders became CEO and member of the board of Pelikan AG with headquarters in Switzerland. During this time a major management reorganization was carried out; several new market innovations and product lines were introduced as well as a streamlining of the company’s various manufacturing and operational activities. Together with his financial counterpart, Mr Benno Zehnder (present Member of the Board of Directors of IPS), Pelikan AG were successfully returned to being a highly profitable business as well as a leader in the office and stationary products market.

1986 - 1996
The Kelders family founded a new plastic moulded packaging company Raycap BV based in the Netherlands. Raycap’s main business was to develop and produce stationary products for global brands. Major new product innovations included correction rollers as a replacement for correction-fluid bottles. The business also included the development and manufacture of glue sticks for consumer markets. Raycap grew into a 250 employee company with production plants in the Netherlands and Germany and was successfully divested to Henkel KGaA in 1996.

1985 - 1996
To support the German market activities of Raycap BV the Kelders family also founded Bomo GmbH together with Mr Wener Moosmann and Mr Werner Bohnert, Bomo is based in Hardt, Germany, is a highly technical plastics moulding company which, in addition to production activities, is also specialized in developing and manufacturing of precision injection moulds for technical components. In 1996 the Kelders family divested their interest in Bomo to its management. The company has grown to become a successful plastics moulded packaging business with over 450 employees.

1996 – 2007
Following division of Henkel KGaA (formerly Raycap BV) activities, the Kelders family started the plastics packaging and moulding company Raytec BV and made further acquisitions leading to the foundation of the Ray Technology Group BV. RTG comprised Raytec together with the companies Supertape, Dreumex and Citin, becoming a market leader in the development and production of innovative stationary & DIY products, moulded packaging, consumer and industrial tapes, cleaners and chemicals for major brands such as Henkel, Loctite, Philip Morris, Philips, Duck Tape, Bison, UHU etc. During this period, RTG grew into company with 350 employees, owned production plants in the Netherlands, Germany, France, UK and had a global sales team. In 1999 a large portion of the shares were divested to ABN AMRO Capital who subsequently acquired the remainder in 2007.

2001-2004
Nitromors, the UK’s largest DIY paint-stripping brand, was acquired from Henkel KGaA to compliment RTG’s product innovation strategy and international market position. Henkel KGaA’s new management regretted ever having sold Nitromors and purchased it back from the Kelders family in 2004.