Dr. Otto Röhm Inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame

Dr. Otto Röhm, a company founder and namesake of today’s Röhm GmbH, has been posthumously inducted into the prestigious Plastics Hall of Fame. The ceremonial induction into the “Class of 2025” will take place on October 7, 2025, on the eve of K 2025 in Düsseldorf – the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber.

The Plastics Hall of Fame honors individuals who have shaped the international plastics industry through outstanding achievements, not to mention pioneers whose innovations continue to have a lasting impact even today.

Together with businessman Otto Haas, Dr. Otto Röhm founded Röhm & Haas OHG in 1907 – a predecessor company of the present-day Röhm GmbH. While Mr Haas was instrumental in driving forward international expansion and spun off the US branch as an independent company in 1917, in Germany Dr. Otto Röhm devoted all his energies to plastics research, among other pursuits.

Dr. Otto Röhm and his team of researchers achieved their big break in the 1930s with the development of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), an innovative material that Röhm later trademarked under the brand name ACRYLITE®. ACRYLITE®, a crystal-clear plastic, combines a wealth of properties, offering a unique variety of solutions for highly specialized applications.

So the versatile material continues to support technological progress in numerous industries – from architecture, automotive engineering and industrial design, to medical technology and many others. “We are thrilled about Dr. Otto Röhm’s induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame,” commented Hans Bohnen, CEO of Röhm GmbH. “His development of ACRYLITE® was a major milestone in the history of chemistry. This pioneering spirit is still an integral part of our DNA today.”

With pioneering developments and leading technologies, Röhm is consistently and continually building on its founder’s success story. The company has ushered in yet another new era in the industry with its development of the LiMA process, a technology for producing methyl methacrylate (MMA). The process enables higher product yields while simultaneously reducing both energy consumption and the environmental impact. The LiMA technology has been successfully deployed in the new production facility in Bay City (Texas, USA) since March 2025. The process is at the forefront of technological innovation.

So Dr. Otto Röhm’s induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame is more than just mere recognition of his historical achievement. It also represents the ongoing commitment to innovation that continues to define the company to this very day.