ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest publicly traded energy providers and chemical manufacturers, develops and applies next-generation technologies to help safely and responsibly meet the world’s growing needs for energy and high-quality chemical products.

Our Mission

Fueling the world safely and responsibly

Access to energy underpins human comfort, mobility, economic prosperity and social progress. It touches nearly every aspect of modern life. Over the course of its long history of more than a century, ExxonMobil has evolved from a regional marketer of kerosene to an advanced energy and chemical innovator, and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world. An industry leader in almost every aspect of the energy and chemical manufacturing businesses, we operate facilities or market products in most of the world’s countries, explore for oil and natural gas on six continents, and research and develop next-generation technologies to help meet the dual challenge of fueling global economies while addressing the risks of climate change.

Worldwide, ExxonMobil markets fuels and lubricants under four brands: Esso, Exxon, Mobil and ExxonMobil Chemical.

Our guiding principles

Exxon Mobil Corporation is committed to being the world's premier petroleum and chemical manufacturing company. To that end, we must continuously achieve superior financial and operating results while adhering to high ethical standards.

Standards of business conduct

How we achieve strong results is as important as the results themselves. The company's directors, officers and employees are expected to observe the highest standards of integrity in conducting business.

Our history

Over the past 135 years ExxonMobil has evolved from a regional marketer of kerosene in the U.S. to the largest publicly traded petroleum and petrochemical enterprise in the world.

Today we operate in most of the world's countries and are best-known by our familiar brand names: Exxon, Esso and Mobil. We make the products that drive modern transportation, power cities, lubricate industry and provide petrochemical building blocks that lead to thousands of consumer goods.

1859

Colonel Edwin Drake and Uncle Billy Smith drill the first successful oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The colonel's discovery triggers an oil boom that parallels the gold rush of a decade earlier.

Colonel Edwin Drake and Uncle Billy Smith drill the first successful oil well in Titusville, Pennsylvania

1870

Rockefeller and his associates form the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), with combined facilities constituting the largest refining capacity of any single firm in the world. The name Standard is chosen to signify high, uniform quality.

1879

Standard Oil Co. purchases a three-quarters interest in Vacuum Oil Company for $200,000. As a lubricants pioneer, Vacuum Oil introduces a number of popular products, including the revolutionary Gargoyle 600-W Steam Cylinder Oil.

1882

Standard Oil lubricates Thomas Edison's first central generating system. Also in this year, Standard Oil Trust forms to include the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (Jersey Standard) and the Standard Oil Company of New York (Socony).

1885

The Standard Oil Trust moves its headquarters to 26 Broadway, New York City. The nine-story office building becomes a landmark. The same year, Vacuum develops Gargoyle Arctic engine oils for newly designed generators and motors that operate at speeds of up to 1,000 rpm.

1903

The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, use both Jersey Standard fuel and Mobiloil (Vacuum) lubricants for their historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

1906

Socony gains a strong foothold in the vast market for kerosene in China by developing small lamps that burned kerosene efficiently. The lamps become known as Mei-Foo, from the Chinese symbols for Socony, meaning "beautiful confidence."

1911

Following a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, Standard Oil breaks up into 34 unrelated companies, including Jersey Standard, Socony and Vacuum Oil.  The year also marks the first time Jersey Standard's sales of kerosene are surpassed by gasoline, a product that in the early days had often been discarded as a nuisance.

1915

Ralph De Palma, winner of the Indianapolis 500, is the first of many Indy winners to use Mobil products. His average speed: 89.84 mph.

1919

Jersey Standard acquires a 50-percent interest in Humble Oil & Refining Company of Texas. It was during this year that Humble, led by its pioneering Chief Geologist Wallace Pratt, employed micropaleontology, the study of microscopic fossils contained in cuttings and core samples from drilling, as an aid in finding oil.

1920

Jersey Standard researchers produce rubbing alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol — the first commercial petrochemical.

1926

Embodying the phonetic rendition of the initials ‘S’ and ‘O’ in Standard Oil, Jersey Standard brings out a new blend of fuel under the trade name Esso.

1927

Humble geophysicists use a refraction seismograph and discover an oil field in Sugarland, Texas.

1928

Amelia Earhart uses Mobiloil to protect Friendship when she makes her historic solo flight across the Atlantic. The previous year, Charles Lindbergh used Mobiloil in the Spirit of St. Louis on the first solo flight across the Atlantic.

1936

First commercial unit in a cat-cracking refinery begins operation at Socony-Vacuum’s Paulsboro, New Jersey, refinery. The unit used a process developed by French scientist Eugene P. Houdry with the financial backing of Socony-Vacuum. The process added a clay-like catalyst to the cracking process to boost gasoline yields and octane rating.

1937

Jersey Standard researchers produce an artificial rubber, butyl. Today, butyl is used in the creation of tires, surgical tapes, protective coatings and more.

1938

The world's first commercial production of alkylate begins at a Humble plant in Baytown, Texas. Alkylation made possible the manufacturing of iso-octane, used as a blending agent to produce 100-octane aviation gasoline.

1942

The world’s first fluid catalytic cracker goes onstream at Louisiana Standard’s Baton Rouge refinery. The process, developed by four Jersey Standard researchers known as the “four horsemen,” improved on the Houdry method for cat cracking and eventually became the industry standard for producing gasoline. Fortune magazine called it “the most revolutionary chemical-engineering achievement of the last 50 years.”

1952

Jersey Standard introduces Uniflo motor oil, the first multigrade motor oil recommended for both summer and winter use.

1955

Jersey Standard establishes the Esso Education Foundation, a program that gives financial aid to private colleges and universities.

1958

Pan American Airways flies its first trans-Atlantic Boeing 707 flight from New York to London. The flight is fueled by Mobil aviation fuel.

1959

An advertising copywriter in Chicago comes up with the advertising slogan “Put a tiger in your tank.”

1963

Humble invents 3-D seismic technology, a revolution that completely changes the way the industry searches for oil and gas resources. (This breakthrough technology, coupled with the use of massive parallel computers in seismic imaging, has helped our geologists sharply reduce finding costs since the 1980s while increasing new field resource additions.)

1966

Mobil celebrates 100 years since the founding of the Vacuum Oil Company in 1866 and changes its name to Mobil Oil Corporation. The company launches a wide-reaching identity program to emphasize the Mobil trade name.

1972

Jersey Standard officially changes its name to Exxon Corporation. The name change is approved by Jersey Standard shareholders in a special shareholders’ meeting.

1974

Mobil introduces a synthetic automotive engine lubricant — Mobil 1. Today, Mobil 1 is the world’s leading synthetic motor oil.

1975

Mobil participates in completion of Beryl A, the world's first concrete production platform. The 50-story-high structure was the prototype for other concrete deepwater facilities operating in the North Sea.

1976

Mobil invents a process for converting methanol into high-octane gasoline through the use of the company’s versatile ZSM-5 catalyst.

1980

Exxon opens its own facility for environmental health research at East Millstone, New Jersey. Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc. conducts research to further assure the safety of Exxon operations and products.

1982

Exxon celebrates 100 years since the formation of the Standard Oil Trust in 1882. In its first 100 years, the company evolved from a domestic refiner and distributor of kerosene to a large multinational corporation, involved at every level of oil and gas exploration, production, refining and marketing, and petrochemicals manufacturing.

1986

Exxon Research and Engineering invents a powerful new imaging technique called 3-D microtomography to study the internal structure of opaque objects without damaging them.

1989

On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez runs aground in Prince William Sound in Alaska. The Valdez oil spill was a tragic accident that ExxonMobil deeply regrets. The company took immediate responsibility for the spill, cleaned it up and voluntarily compensated those who claimed direct damages. Learn more about the Exxon Valdez.

1989

Exxon introduces Exxpol, a single-site metallocene catalyst used to produce consistent, controllable molecular structures that make plastic and rubber products tougher and impact-resistant, with less haze and with excellent organoleptics (low off-taste and odor).

1995

 

Exxon establishes the Save The Tiger Fund in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Save The Tiger Fund is dedicated to supporting the conservation of Asia’s remaining wild tigers. Since its establishment, ExxonMobil has provided $1 million annually in support of the Save The Tiger Fund.

1997

Mobil introduces Speedpass, an electronic system which automatically activates the pump and charges purchases to a credit card. Speedpass is similar to the electronic toll technology successfully used on subway, bus and highway systems around the world.

1999

On November 30, 1999, Exxon and Mobil join to form Exxon Mobil Corporation. “This merger will enhance our ability to be an effective global competitor in a volatile world economy and in an industry that is more and more competitive,” said Lee Raymond and Lou Noto, chairmen and chief executive officers of Exxon and Mobil, respectively.

2001

ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company (EMRE) develops the SCANfining process, which uses a new proprietary catalyst to selectively remove more than 95 percent of the sulfur from gasoline while minimizing octane loss.

2002

ExxonMobil, joined by other sponsors, initiates the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University — a pioneering research effort to identify technologies that can meet energy demand with dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions.

2005

ExxonMobil partners with professional golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, to launch the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy. The academy is designed to provide third- through fifth-grade teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to motivate kids to pursue careers in science and math.

ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum, with other joint-venture partners, expand development of the giant North Field offshore Qatar, the largest nonassociated gas field in the world.

2007

Exxon Neftegas Limited (a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation) completes the drilling of the Z-11 well, the longest measured depth extended-reach drilling (ERD) well in the world. (Located on Sakhalin Island offshore eastern Russia, the record-setting Z-11 achieved a total measured depth of 37,016 feet [11,282 meters], or more than seven miles.)

2008

ExxonMobil's donation through “Idol Gives Back” enables the distribution of hundreds of thousands of bed nets throughout disease-stricken communities in Angola.

2009

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) and Synthetic Genomics Inc. (SGI) announced the opening of a greenhouse facility enabling the next level of research and testing in their algae biofuels program. In 2017, these efforts will yield a breakthrough involving modification of an algae strain that more than doubles its oil content without significantly inhibiting the strain’s growth.

2010

ExxonMobil finalizes its agreement with XTO Energy Inc., creating a new organization to focus on global development and production of unconventional resources. A plan to build and deploy a rapid response system that will be available to capture and contain oil in the event of a potential future underwater well blowout in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico is announced by Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Shell. ExxonMobil leads the containment system efforts on behalf of the sponsor companies.

2011

Exxon Mobil Corporation announced two major oil discoveries and a gas discovery in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico after drilling the company's first post-moratorium deep-water exploration well. This is one of the largest discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico in the last decade.

2014

The first shipment of liquefied natural gas from ExxonMobil’s PNG LNG Project in Papua New Guinea is delivered to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc. in Japan.

2015

ExxonMobil safely and successfully drills its first exploration well offshore Guyana. Subsequent exploratory activity will confirm a world-class resource discovery in excess of 5 billion oil-equivalent barrels.

2016

ExxonMobil and Georgia Tech researchers develop a potentially revolutionary “reverse osmosis” technology that could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastics manufacturing. By using a molecular filter — rather than energy and heat — to perform a key step in the plastics-making process, this new process offers the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of energy required in petrochemical facilities.

2017

Working jointly with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, ExxonMobil sets a record in high-performance computing by using more than four times the previous number of processors used on complex oil and gas reservoir simulation models to improve exploration and production results. The breakthrough in parallel simulation uses 716,800 processors, the equivalent of harnessing the power of 22,400 computers with 32 processors per computer.

2017

ExxonMobil doubles its Permian Basin resource to 6 billion barrels of oil equivalent through the acquisition of companies owned by the Bass family of Fort Worth, TX.

Welcome to Energy Factor, an online resource covering the cutting-edge technology and innovations that are helping to meet tomorrow’s energy needs.

Sponsored by ExxonMobil, Energy Factor uncovers the untold stories that ultimately matter to all of us as we develop safe and reliable energy sources for the future. We highlight the communities and visionaries we collaborate with both in the U.S. and abroad to bring you informed, entertaining, and unexpected content.

We invite you to explore wide-ranging topics from the development of low-emission diesel fuel from algae, to the dramatic challenges of producing energy in some of the world’s most inhospitable places.

As we forge new paths in technology and science, Energy Factor gives you the opportunity to peer into tomorrow along with us through this bold multimedia publication.

Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With 60,000 employees, representing 140 nationalities in more than 80 countries, the company helps its customers maximize value throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir – from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production throughout the life of the asset.

Sustainability

Sustainability is integral to our overall strategy as we seek to deliver long-term financial value while minimizing our environmental footprint and having a positive impact on society. This is expressed in our Guiding Principles for Sustainability.

Ethics and Integrity are the foundation for our Guiding Principles

Built on a solid foundation of ethics and integrity, the Halliburton Guiding Principles for Sustainability provide the framework for our operations and our future. To ensure that these principles guide every aspect of our decisions, plans and actions, we have matched each with a clearly defined intent.

Financial Performance

Deliver superior value for our shareholders to outperform our competitors by delivering superior growth, margins and returns to our shareholders

Health, Safety & Environment

Conduct operations that are safe and environmentally responsible to advance on our Journey to ZERO, toward our vision of zero health, safety, environment or service quality incidents

Technology & Innovation

Lead the industry in innovation and conscientious stewardship of global resources to develop solutions that give our customers economic access to new hydrocarbon resources and maximize the value of their existing assets

Global Citizenship

Enhance the economic and social well-being of our employees and the communities in which we operate to be preferred employer and make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work

Transparency

Be transparent in reporting and validating our progress to provide our stakeholders with thorough and timely information on our progress

Collaboration

Engage our stakeholders to help achieve results that are compatible with our stated principles to actively communicate with key stakeholders to help achieve mutual objectives

History

Halliburton's fascinating and proud history reveals a continuous focus on innovation and expansion that began with the company's founder, Erle P. Halliburton. After borrowing a wagon, a team of mules and a pump, he built a wooden mixing box and started an oil well cementing business in Duncan, Oklahoma.

In the 1930s, Halliburton established its first research laboratories where the company tested cement mixes, began offering acidizing services to break down the resistance of limestone formations and increase the production of oil and gas, and performed its first offshore cementing job using a barge-mounted cementing unit at a rig in the Creole Field in the Gulf of Mexico. This was the beginning of what was to become the world's most extensive offshore service.

Halliburton took the initial steps toward becoming a worldwide company in 1926. We sold five cementing units to an English company in Burma, the start of our Eastern Hemisphere operations, and Erle P. Halliburton sent his brothers to open our business in Alberta, Canada. We opened in Venezuela in 1940. By 1946, the company – using its innovative technology – had expanded into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the Middle East and began performing services for the Arabian-American Oil Company, the forerunner of Saudi Aramco.

In 1951, Halliburton made its first appearance in Europe as Halliburton Italiana SpA., a wholly owned subsidiary in Italy. In the next seven years, Halliburton launched Halliburton Company Germany GmbH, set up operations in Argentina and established a subsidiary in England.

In 1984, Halliburton provided all of the well completion equipment for the first multiwell platform offshore China. Two years later, Halliburton became the first American company to perform an oilfield service job on the China mainland

The final decade of the 20th century brought more changes and growth to Halliburton. The company opened a branch office in Moscow in 1991.

The company realigned its work into Eastern and Western Hemisphere operations in 2006, and in 2007, divided its service offerings into two divisions: Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation.

Today, Halliburton offers the world's broadest array of products, services and integrated solutions for oil and gas exploration, development and production.

We are a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with an average of 86,000 employees in more than 70 countries. We use advanced technologies and take an innovative approach to help build a sustainable energy future.

Shell is an international energy company with expertise in the exploration, production, refining and marketing of oil and natural gas, and the manufacturing and marketing of chemicals. Find out how we are working to power progress together.

Royal Dutch Shell was formed in 1907, although our history can be traced back to the first half of the 19th century.

Our headquarters are in The Hague, the Netherlands, and our Chief Executive Officer is Ben van Beurden. The parent company of the Shell group is Royal Dutch Shell plc, which is incorporated in England and Wales.

Our strategy is to strengthen our position as a leading energy company by providing oil and gas and low-carbon energy as the world's energy system changes. Safety and social responsibility are fundamental to our business approach.

Our purpose

Shell's purpose is to power progress together with more and cleaner energy solutions. We believe that rising standards of living for a growing global population are likely to continue to drive demand for energy, including oil and gas, for years to come. At the same time, technology changes and the need to tackle climate change means there is a transition underway to a lower-carbon, multisource energy system.

Against this backdrop, we have the following strategic ambitions:

    to provide a world-class investment case. This involves growing free cash flow and increasing shareholder returns, all built upon a strong financial framework and resilient portfolio;

    to thrive in the energy transition by responding to society’s desire for more and cleaner, convenient and competitive energy; and

    to sustain a strong societal licence to operate and make a positive contribution to society through our activities.

Our ability to achieve our strategic ambitions depends on how we respond to competitive forces. We continuously assess the external environment – the markets as well as the underlying economic, political, social and environmental drivers that shape them – to evaluate changes in competitive forces and business models.

We continuously seek to improve our operating performance, and maximise sustainable free cash flow, with an emphasis on health, safety, security, environment and asset performance, as well as adhering to our ethics and compliance principles.

Our people

Our people are essential to the successful delivery of the Shell strategy and to sustaining business performance over the long term. Performing competitively in the evolving energy landscape requires competent and empowered people working safely together across Shell.

We believe that diverse teams led by inclusive leaders deliver better safety and business performance.

Our History

In 1833, Marcus Samuel decided to expand his London business. He already sold antiques but decided to try selling oriental seashells as well, capitalising on their popularity in the interior design industry at that time. The demand was so great that he began importing the shells from the Far East, laying the foundations for an import-export business that would ultimately become one of the world’s leading energy companies.

When Marcus Samuel senior died in 1870 he passed the business on to his two sons, Marcus junior and Samuel, who began to expand it. In the 1880s they became particularly interested in the oil exporting business but shipping still posed a problem as oil was carried in barrels which could leak and took up a lot of space. To solve the problem, they commissioned a fleet of steamers to carry oil in bulk, including the Murex which, in 1892, became the first oil tanker to pass through the Suez Canal.

The Shell Transport and Trading Company is born

With the maiden voyage of the Murex, the Samuels brothers had achieved a revolution in the transport of oil. Bulk transport substantially cut the cost of oil by enormously increasing the volume that could be carried. The brothers’ main competitor at the time was Standard Oil, a company famous for its blue cans of kerosene that, when empty, could be used for anything from roofing to bed pans. To stand out they created the Shell brand and painted their cans bright red. The tactic worked and, by 1896, their kerosene trade was earning more than all their other businesses combined.

In 1897 Marcus and Samuel renamed their company the Shell Transport and Trading Company and launched their first refinery at Balik Papan in Dutch Borneo. The refinery later had to be destroyed when the USA declared war on Japan in World War II.

 

Merging with Royal Dutch

In 1901 when oil was found in Texas, Marcus Samuel junior pulled off the deal of a lifetime and won the transport and distribution rights from his company’s main competitor, Standard Oil. However, by 1902, overproduction in Texas had slashed the available supply to virtually nothing. At the same time, a smaller competitor called Royal Dutch had had begun to construct its own tankers and set up its own sales organisation in Asia. As a result, half of the Shell’s fleet sat idle.

So, in 1907, the decision was taken to merge Shell Transport and Trading Company with Royal Dutch and form the Royal Dutch Shell Group. The day the telegram was received announcing the merger – April 23 – is now celebrated every year as Shell’s birthday.

Expansion and innovation

The merger with Royal Dutch signalled a period of rapid expansion as Shell (the Group’s name quickly became shortened to Shell) opened operations throughout Europe and in many parts of Asia. There was also substantial exploration and production in Russia, Romania, Venezuela, Mexico and the US.

The years that followed also gave Shell many exciting opportunities to demonstrate the quality of its products in the fast-developing market for petrol (gasoline). These included record-breaking races, flights and journeys of exploration. For example, in 1907 Prince Borghese won the Peking to Paris motor rally using Shell Spirit motor oil. In the Antarctic, explorers Ernest Shackleton and Captain Scott used Shell fuel, while Bleriot’s inaugural cross-Channel flight was made using Shell Spirit.

Helping with the war effort

Shell was a crucial partner to the Allies in both World Wars. During World War I, Shell became the main fuel supplier of the British army and also offered all of its ships to the British Admiralty, including the Murex.

The inter-war years were a time of rapid expansion for oil companies as the use of motor cars and demand for petrol increased. Shell fuelled the first trans-Atlantic flight made by Alcock and Brown in 1919, developed new and improved drilling techniques and, in 1929, founded Shell Chemicals to advance the refinement of chemicals from oil.

When World War II began, Shell’s London office was dedicated to supporting the war effort and the company’s refineries in the USA produced aviation fuel to support the Allied air forces. All Shell tankers came under Government control and many Shell staff showed great bravery in keeping them going, including the flying ace Douglas Bader who worked in the aviation department of Asiatic Petroleum before joining the RAF in 1939. War was also a catalyst for great innovation, with major advances in both fuel and chemicals research, including the development of fuels for new generations of aircraft such as the Spitfire.

 

Post-war expansion

The immediate post-war years were some of the toughest Shell had yet faced. Reconstruction was very expensive and the market for oil was changing rapidly. Against this backdrop Shell launched new exploration programmes in Africa and South America and built new refineries in the UK. The company also invested in larger and higher-powered ships – supertankers – in order to carry more oil in bulk.

In 1947, the first commercially viable offshore well was drilled in the Gulf of Mexico and within 8 years the company had over 300 such wells. New discoveries were also made in Borneo and the Niger Delta, and commercial production of oil in Nigeria began in 1958.

A number of scientific advances at this time boosted the demand for oil, including the invention of the jet engine – its architect Sir Frank Whittle even worked for the company for a number of years.

New ideas and directions

Shell started the 1960s by strengthening its presence in the Middle East, discovering oil in Yibal, Oman’s most prolific field. This discovery was the country’s first and would go on to transform Oman’s economy. The Groningen gas field in the Netherlands was also discovered at the start of the decade, followed by the discovery of gas in the North Sea. This time was also a golden period of research by Shell Chemicals and the company also took the decision to internationalise, placing local people in top positions to make the most of homegrown talent in each country.

The closure of the Suez Canal in 1967 for eight years confirmed the wisdom of Shell’s decision to invest in super tankers. At the same time, Shell was a partner in the first sea transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 1964 – from the Algeria to the UK – opening up a whole new market for the business.

Instability in the Middle East at the end of the 1960s and the start of the 1970s led to a quadrupling of oil prices and meant that the era of cheap energy came to an end. In response, Shell began to diversify, in particular into coal, nuclear power and metals. Shell also began to look beyond the traditional oil-producing countries for supplies and stepped up exploration in the North Sea and in the USA.

Growing and facing challenges

In the 1980s Shell began to grow through acquisitions. In 1986 the oil price collapsed with the price of a barrel of oil falling from $31 to $10 over the winter. To adjust to the lower oil price Shell had to focus on developing projects more cheaply. Intensive research led to huge improvements in drilling techniques and the use of 3D seismic technology to search for new oil sources became widespread. These advances enabled the company to develop offshore projects in much more challenging environments. The Troll field in Norway was one example, another was in the Gulf of Mexico where a new well was drilled at a depth of 2.3 kilometres.

The 1990s saw biomass and gas-to-liquids (GTL) technologies make giant leaps forward. In 1993 Shell opened the world’s first commercial GTL plant in Bintulu, Malaysia, a pioneering step that set the stage for the increasing role this fuel would play over the next decade.

This era was not without its challenges, however. While Shell moved into new growth areas such as China and Russia and developed projects of increasing complexity and in harsher environments, it also faced increased external criticism. Environmental concerns were raised in relation to Shell’s plans to dispose of the Brent platforms in North Sea storage platform, as well as over Shell’s presence and activities in Nigeria. Shell has since strived to work as closely as possible with both local governments and communities. The Shell commitment and policy on Health, Security, Safety, Environment and Social Performance (HSSE & SP) applies across the company and is designed to help protect people, their communities and the environment wherever Shell operates.

Record-breaking innovations and new partnerships

In 2005, the Royal Dutch Shell Group underwent a major structural reorganization as the nearly century-old partnership between Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading was dissolved and Shell unified its corporate structure under a single new holding company, Royal Dutch Shell plc.

Shell’s innovation has continued at pace into the 21st Century. In 2012, the company completed Pearl GTL, in Qatar, the world’s largest source of GTL products. In 2016, production started at Shell’s Stones field, the world’s deepest oil and gas project. And in 2017, Prelude, the world’s biggest floating liquefied natural gas facility, sailed 5,800 kilometers from a shipyard in South Korea to its new home in Western Australia.

The company has also continued to expand. In 2015, Shell announced that it would be buying BG Group, a UK oil and gas production company. The acquisition was completed in February 2016, expanding the company’s oil and gas portfolio. And in 2016, Shell created its New Energies business to focus on exploring and developing commercial opportunities in renewable energy, such as wind and solar..

Looking forward

Looking back over 185 years of Shell history, it has been an amazing journey. Mankind has managed to adapt, time and time again, through a century of rapid change and periodic upheaval; and so has Shell. But there are also big challenges in the century ahead.

Society today faces a challenge on an unprecedented scale: how to meet increasing energy needs while reducing carbon emissions.

Shell is an active player in and has embraced the transformation of the energy system. The company sees commercial opportunity in participating in the global drive to provide more and cleaner energy solutions. Thriving as the world transitions to a lower-carbon energy system is a key focus and Shell’s strategy, portfolio and strong financial framework will give the company a source of resilience in the years to come.

Understanding what climate change means for Shell is one of the biggest strategic questions facing company leaders. In answering that question, Shell is determined to continue to work closely with society and its customers as it has done for nearly 200 years.

Sunoco has grown from its humble roots as a small oil company in Pittsburgh, PA, to one of the largest fuel distribution companies in the United States. Sunoco’s rich, 130 plus-year heritage, legacy and reputation for innovation, and commitment to its local communities are foundational elements of this iconic American brand. Today, Sunoco distributes fuel to over 5,000 gas station locations in more than 30 states.

1886

Pennsylvania Roots

Joseph Newton Pew and Edward O. Emerson were partners at Peoples Natural Gas Company in Pittsburgh, PA, when they decided to expand their gas business to oil. It proved to be a success. Within a few years, the oil company had acquired pipelines, leases and storage tanks – emerging as one of the area’s leading suppliers of crude oil.

 

On March 17, 1890, they made it official with a new name. The Sun Oil Company was producing, transporting, and storing oil as well as refining, shipping, and marketing petroleum.

    1916

    Expanding To Shipbuilding

    As the oil company grew, it expanded into related services and subsidiaries. In 1916, the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company was established.

1920s

First Service Station

Sun opened its first service station in Ardmore, PA, and shortly after, another in Toledo, OH.

On November 12, 1925, Sun Oil Company went public – its stock appearing for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange.

Before the decade was over, Sun was in the oilfield equipment business with the 1929 formation of Sperry-Sun, a joint venture with Sperry Gyroscope.

1937

Landmark In Refining Industry

One of the most dramatic events of the 1930s for the company, and the refining industry, took place when Sun placed on stream the world’s first large-scale, commercial catalytic cracking plant in Marcus Hook, PA, in 1937. The Marcus Hook plant is still owned and in operation today, serving as a refining facility location for the company’s race fuels.

    1941

    Expanding To Mining

    Always striving to produce better products, Sun got into the mining business in 1941, forming the Cordero Mining Company in Nevada to supply mercury for Sunoco motor oils. The metal proved vital for the United States Military in World War II.

1950s

Beyond The States

Sun began expanding north and south in the 1950s. In Canada, Sun started a 15,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Sarnia, Ontario. And, in Venezuela beginning in 1957, Venezuelan Sun Oil Company produced more than 1 billion barrels of oil from Lake Maracaibo before ceasing operations in 1975 when the Venezuelan government nationalized Sun’s holdings.

A map of North America showcasing Sunoco locations in the 1950s, starting on the east coast and then expanding to Canada and Venezuela

1956

Invention Of The Custom Blending Pump

Sun revolutionized the oil industry when it introduced the Custom Blending Pump, a novel system for dispensing a choice of five octane grades of gasoline from a single pump. A model of the pump is currently on display at the Smithsonian.

    1960s

    Relationship with motorsports begins

    The Sunoco brand officially entered the motorsports scene, forging a partnership with the legendary Roger Penske Racing Team and driver Mark Donohue. This partnership had tremendous success, including winning the 1972, Indianapolis 500.

1970s

Reshaping The Company

Major restructuring reshaped the company in 1975, when it organized into 14 operating units, two property companies and a non-operating parent company. This was accompanied by a move to a new corporate headquarters in Radnor, PA. Reflecting the diversification of the company, Sun Oil Company was renamed again to the Sun Company, Inc. in 1976.

1980s

Ultra Release

With a history of innovation and love of performance, Sun developed and released the market’s highest octane unleaded gas, Sunoco ULTRA 94, in 1983. The company discontinued ULTRA 94 in 2005, after a solid 22-year run.

In the late 1980s, Sun Company, Inc. began rebranding its fueling stations under the name Sunoco, to match the name of its gasoline.

1998

New Name

In November of 1998, Sun Company, Inc. changed its name to Sunoco, Inc.

2000s

Giving Back

Sunoco is proud to give back to the communities it serves. Over the years, the company has partnered with both national and local organizations to provide financial contributions, fuel donations, and volunteer time to help assist those in need.

Racing Fuel Of Choice

In 2004, Sunoco signed on as the Official Fuel of NASCAR®, and more recently IndyCar and the NHRA. In total, Sunoco is the official fuel of more than 50 racing series.

2012

Joining With The Best

Sunoco began the transformation of its business to focus on logistics and transportation fuels in 2012, when it was acquired by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, one of the largest natural gas and natural gas distribution companies in the US. The company’s operations include the gathering, treating, processing, marketing and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids.

2018

Launch of the Sunoco App

To help customers save time and get rewarded at the pump, Sunoco launched its new mobile app in 2018. The app gives customers the fastest way to fuel with quick access to the closest Sunoco station, simple payment options, integration with grocery rewards and exclusive offers—all right through their phone.

Health, Environmental, And Safety

Sunoco believes it has a responsibility to protect the environment and provide a safe workplace. This is a fundamental core value embedded throughout operations and within its business landscape. Sunoco is proud to be industry leaders when it comes to environmental practices and consistently exhibits 1st quartile safety performance when benchmarked against peers.

Safety Statement

Sunoco is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment to employees, customers, and contractors. It strives for continuous safety improvement and looks for opportunities to improve safety culture and practices. Sunoco’s employees are the company’s and their family’s most valuable asset; therefore, there is no job or priority more important than ensuring the safety of Sunoco’s employees. The company executes this core organizational goal by doing the right thing, as demonstrated by a culture of strong safety leadership. Sunoco works diligently to recognize and then mitigate potential hazards, soliciting employee solutions. It delivers detailed health and safety training and instills in all employees a personal accountability and ownership to perform work in a safe manner, by complying with Sunoco’s Health and Safety Policy and Procedures and all applicable federal, state, and local safety and health regulations.

Environmental Statement

Sunoco takes great pride and commitment in working to protect the public and environment. It executes this commitment throughout the business landscape by adhering to all applicable federal, state, and local environmental regulations and standards. In addition, the company adheres to Sunoco’s internal Environmental Policy and Procedures. Sunoco’s operating facilities take this core organizational value very seriously and integrate sound environmental practices and controls into daily operations, as well as look for opportunities for continuous operational improvement to enhance environmental controls and practices to protect the public and environment.