SHELL FRANCE
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Shell origin
Hisrory of Shell in France
References
The very first logo was a mold, but since 1904 the shell is a "Pecten".
The graphic for this emblems is extremely accurate and is subject to
strict recommendations of the Group.
All activities of the Royal Dutch / Shell Group must use this emblem.
Two Group companies may use another logo:
- Butagaz Shell France (blue bear, created in 1969) - Sold in 2015 to the DCC group
- Billiton (mining company of the Group 1970/1994)
The colors used : red and yellow
The exact origins of the Shell are hard to define, two théories :
1)- Both colors are those of the House of
Orange-Nassau who sponsored the Royal Dutch in its infancy
and the
shell is that of Shell Transport.
2)- In 1915 when the Shell Company of
California first built service stations, they had to compete against
other companies.
Bright colours were the solution but colours that would not
offend the Californians. Because of the
stat's
strong spanish connection the red et yellow of Spain were
chosen.
The origin of Shell goes back in 1833 when Marcus Samuel run, in London, a small shop of odds and ends, selling in particular
eastern shells very snuffed at that Victorian time.
English shell = Coquille in French
This activity, very profitable, was transformed into a company of import-export and some barrels of oil were part of the trade.
The son, also with first name Marcus, was interested in this paraffin oil market and made build a ship especially intended for crude oil transport:
The tanker “Murex” of 5,000 tons, the first one of Shell. He founds, in 1897, “The Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd”.
On its side a petroleum group named “Royal Dutch Petroleum Company” exploited crude oil in Sumatra. These two companies were concurrent
with the advantage for Shell to having tankers.
To fight against their main competitor, the American giant: the ”Standard Oil” belongings Rockefeller, the two companies, which were associated with
French Rothschild in Paris (specialized in Russian oil), make it up and found “The Asiatic Petroleum Company" in 1903.
The Royal Dutch and Shell share their activities in two new companies: the English company “ Pétroleum company Ltd” in London and the Dutch
“Bataasfsche Petroleum Maatschappij” in The Hague.
They will be at the basis of the development for the Royal Dutch/Shell group.
History of Shell in France:
It is in 1919 that Shell is established in France, but a little history should be made:
It is necessary to go back to 1843, time when Alexandre Deutsch de la Meurthe built in Pantin (gates of Paris) a small vegetable oil factory intended
for the oil lamps used for lighting and a spirits distilling of turpentine.
In 1851 it offer oneself purchaser of 224 wood barrels containing crude oil coming from the wells of Pennsylvania (the USA) on board “Elisabeth Watts”,
sailing ship American.
In fact it manufactures mineral wax candles drawn from oil and it studies the first oil distillation methods.
In 1876 Alexander Deutsch de la Meurthe becomes the first refiner of France and installs a refinery close to Rouen, in Petit Couronne (Seine inférieure, at this time)
where it produces among others the “Luciline” (paraffin oil).
This is the name given to the refinery, named after his little daughter Lucie.
A second refinery is built in St Loubet (Gironde), in the vines close to Bordeaux
The refining taking extend with the arrival of the first motor vehicles, it is necessary to supply France with oil and the house of Deutsch de la Meurthe approaches
the Shell group to create in 1922 the “Société des Pétroles Jupiter”
Well, in 1919, Shell is established in France
by creating the “Société Maritime des Pétroles”, distributing lubricants, fuel
oils and bitumen.
In 1922 alliance between the Shell group and Deutsch de la Meurthe to found la “Compagnie
des Pétroles Jupiter”.
1929: All the oils activities of Shell are gathered in Pétroles Jupiter, Construction
of an important refinery In Petit Couronne (Seine inférieure)
and another in Pauillac
(Gironde).
1931 - Creation of the gas business the “Société pour l'Utilisation
Rationnelle des Gaz” (U.R.G.) and in Petit Couronne creation of a center
(storage,
filling, distribution)
equipped to supply liquefied petroleum gas in bottles of
13 kg, blue in steel (first bottles are white) or in bulk.
It is in boat, the gas tanker “Agnita” (the only one of this kind at this
time), which arrived, coming from Houston (the USA), the first cargo of
liquefied
gas in Europe (There did not exist other filling center in Europe).
1932 - Construction of the building which will be the building Shell (8 000 m ² on the ground between the street of Washington, the street of Artois and
the street of Berri in Paris 8th)
1933 - that were created the brands “Butagaz” and “Propagaz”, for butane and propane gas.
1934 – Commissioning of the filling center in Pauillac.
After
the war, creation in 1947 of the "Compagnie de Raffinage Shell Berre"
by association of the Shell group and a subsidiary of the French group
Saint-Gobain
(the Compagnie des Produits Chimiques et Raffinage de
Berre) which provided its Berre refinery ( Bouches-du-Rhône).
In 1948 the “Compagnie des Pétroles Jupiter” took the name of “Shell Française” .
In 1948 only two French tankers of 16,600 tons, the “Junon” and the “Minerve” was own propriety of Shell Française.
The petrochemical activity of Shell in France began in 1949 either in part alone, it is “Shell Chimie”, and other with Saint-Gobain (Shell Saint-Gobain).
In 1951 creation of the “Compagnie Maritime Shell” (SMS), shipping department of Shell Française
In 1956 the total workforce of the companies Shell and Shell Berre, in France, amounted to 11,417 people.
In 1958 the oil fleet of Shell Française consisted of 16 tankers ie 224,000 tons plus 226,000 tons in the chartered ships.
In 1960 appeared the notion of “Shell France”.
In 1962 Shell Saint-Gobain became the “Compagnie Française des Produits Chimiques Shell”.
In 1963 Opening the refinery of Reischstett (Alsace, Bas Rhin)
1968: Opening the research center of Shell France in Grand Couronne (Seine maritime), Normandy)
In 1970 Saint-Gobain retired from activities refining/distribution and the company “Shell France” becomes again “Shell Française”.
In 1976 the manpower for companies Shell in France amount to 9,910 people.
1985 – URG becomes Butagaz - (See 2015)
In 1986 sale of the last ships of the fleet “SMS” and closing of the refinery of Pauillac (Gironde).
In 1988 put on sale Parisian building Shell, 57,000 m ² of floors, to settle Shell in Colombes and Butagaz in Neuilly (both in Hauts-de-Seine, western suburbs of Paris)
Shell France then counts 6,673 people including nearly 21% for the staff.
In 1998 the chemistry activity became predominant and “Shell Française” became “Pétrole Shell” and the name “Shell France” recovered all the activities of Shell in France.
1999 – Opening of the lubricants factory in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine, close to Paris).
From 2007, Shell France sells the whole of his refineries:
2007 - Berre l'étang (Bouches-du-Rhône) petrochemicals sold to Lyondell Basel (stopped in 2012)
2008 – Reichstett (Bas Rhin, in Alsace) then Petite Couronne (Seine maritime, in Normandy)
Sold to Pétroplus.
Reichstett refinery closed in 2011 – Petit Couronne refinery stopped in 2013 (The demolition of the site began in 2015).
2009 closure of the research center of Grand Couronne (Seine maritime).
The service stations distribution network is being restructured to preserve only the motorway stations.
Today, in 2013, Shell France it is approximately 900 people in several companies:
SPS Société des Pétroles Shell (Shell
Oil Company).
SEPF Exploitation et Production (Guyane) (In Guyana Operations and Production).
Société Provençale des Bitumes SAS in Château Renard (Bouches-du-Rhône) and
the SEEB (European expertise in bitumens).
SLN lubricants in Nanterre.
Avitair SAS aviation fuel (Colombes).
Butagaz (LPG) in Levallois Perret 2015 -
Butagaz is sold to DCC group, based in Dublin. This group, which sells energy (gas, electricity, petroleum products), wants to take advantage of the notoriety
of
the blue bear to introduce, among other things, into the marketing of
electricity.For the moment the 13 kg blue bottles "Butagaz" are
preserved.
In 2022 the name was changed: from Royal Dutch Shell Pic to Shell Pic.
References:
information brochure Shell France n°289 “double anniversary” - 1989
Web site of Shell France http://www.shell.fr
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