Helm China Co., Ltd.
HELM AG is a Hamburg-based family-owned chemicals marketing and distribution company founded in 1900, moving about 8 million tonnes of chemicals annually for more than 3,000 partners in over 30 countries, with 3.7 billion EUR turnover in 2024.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1900
- HeadquartersHamburg, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Helm China Co., Ltd. does
HELM AG is a Hamburg-based, family-owned chemicals marketing and distribution company founded in 1900, operating across more than 30 countries through over 100 subsidiaries and participations. The company moves approximately 8 million tonnes of chemicals annually for more than 3,000 partners, generating 3.7 billion EUR in turnover in 2024. Its core Chemicals business spans base chemicals, intermediates, and inorganics/acids & lyes, complemented by three adjacent business units: Crop Solutions (HELM Plant Advantage portfolio and the Plantix digital agronomy app), Energy Materials (LevertonHELM battery-grade lithium chemicals, plus lithium-recycling partnerships), and Pharma.
HELM earns revenue primarily through transactional distribution of commodity and specialty chemicals, monetized via trading margins on volume throughput. It bundles distribution with value-added services: global sales organization expertise, integrated logistics (including own oil terminals and multi-modal transport), contract design, supply-chain solutions, and customized financing models for international counterparties. The model is sales-led, B2B enterprise, with quote-based pricing and long-term partnerships rather than short-term opportunistic trades.
The company is simultaneously executing a portfolio shift toward higher-growth, lower-carbon chemistries. This is evidenced by the full acquisition of LevertonHELM (2024) and tripling of UK lithium capacity, the $300 million Qore joint venture with Cargill producing bio-based 1,4-butanediol (QIRA), the Again partnership for CO2-derived acetic acid, the Cornish Lithium and Altilium UK lithium-supply partnerships, and the 2025 divestiture of legacy European Plant Protection assets to refocus Crop Solutions on digital and nutritional offerings.
Helm China Co., Ltd. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Helm China Co., Ltd.
- Legal name
- HELM AG
- Website
- https://helmchina.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1900
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HELM AG is a Hamburg-based family-owned chemicals marketing and distribution company founded in 1900, moving about 8 million tonnes of chemicals annually for more than 3,000 partners in over 30 countries, with 3.7 billion EUR turnover in 2024.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Helm China Co., Ltd. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Chemical Distribution & Marketing
- NAICS
- Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246), Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (42469)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chemicals & Petrochemicals (Non-Hazmat Specialized Handling) (TLAIALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Contract Warehousing, Blending & Distribution for Agrochemicals (bulk handling, IBC/drum management) (AFABAIAL)
Keywords
Where Helm China Co., Ltd. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hamburg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Helm China Co., Ltd. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Chemical Distribution and Trading: HELM acts as a global link between chemical manufacturers and customers, moving about 8 million tonnes of chemicals each year for more than 3,000 partners in over 30 countries. They operate in large-volume commodity business and downstream product marketing.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Helm China Co., Ltd. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Helm China Co., Ltd., as part of HELM AG, functions as a global chemical marketing and distribution company acting as a link between chemical manufacturers and industrial customers. It moves approximately 8 million tonnes of chemicals each year for more than 3,000 partners across 30+ countries, combining high-volume commodity trading with downstream specialty product marketing across base chemicals, intermediates, inorganics/acids & lyes, crop solutions, and energy/battery materials.
Product overview
HELM AG is a global chemical marketing and distribution company operating across four business units: Chemicals, Crop Solutions, Energy Materials, and Pharma. The Chemicals unit encompasses Base Chemicals, Intermediates, and Inorganics/Acids & Lyes. The Energy Materials unit includes LevertonHELM (lithium chemicals) and strategic partnerships for battery materials. Crop Solutions offers HELM Plant Advantage® products alongside digital tools like Plantix. Key product brands include QIRA® (bio-based BDO via Qore joint venture), SPCI HELM (sulphur chemicals), Valenz (methanol), and Trillium (bio-based acrylonitrile). The company also provides logistics, financing, and supply chain solutions as services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HELM Plant Advantage: Portfolio of products addressing Soil Health, Crop Development and Crop Defense
- QIRA
- Plantix
Products and services
- Base Chemicals
Quantifiable outcome
- 8 million tonnes of chemicals moved per year for 3,000+ partners in 30+ countries
Companies that use Helm China Co., Ltd.
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Helm China Co., Ltd. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Helm China Co., Ltd. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Jedro LithiumcoreLevertonHELM and Jedro Lithium plan to cooperate in the production of Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate (LiOH·H2O), with emphasis on using recycled Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Sulphate as feedstock to strengthen Europe's lithium supply chain.
- CAC Nantong ChemicalcoreHELM AG divested European plant protection assets to CAC Nantong Chemical. CAC's affiliate CAC Chemical GmbH will take over registrations and rights for classic chemical plant protection portfolio in Europe.
- AgaincoreHELM partnered with Again, a carbon transformation scale-up, as future distribution partner for sustainable acetic acid produced from recycled CO2 emissions at their Texas City facility.
- AltiliumcoreAltilium and HELM AG partnership to develop sustainable domestic supply chain for lithium in the UK by combining Altilium's battery material recovery expertise with LevertonHELM's lithium production capabilities.
- Cornish LithiumcoreCornish Lithium and HELM AG through LevertonHELM signed MoU to jointly work together to produce battery-grade lithium compounds from Cornish geothermal brines.
- LevertonHELMcoreHELM completed full acquisition of LevertonHELM, becoming sole owner. LevertonHELM is a UK-based manufacturer of high-quality lithium chemicals with production capacity of 10,000 tons of Lithium Chloride Solution per year.
- PlantixcoreHELM took majority of shares in agritech startup Plantix, a digital app for crop pest recognition. HELM CEO Stephan Schnabel is majority shareholder. Partnership with NN Running Team for African agriculture impact.
- Plan International DeutschlandminorHELM supports Plan International Deutschland in projects promoting equality and empowerment for girls and young women worldwide. HSV partnership includes sleeve sponsorship donated to Plan International.
- NESI (NORAM Electrolysis Systems)coreNESI and HELM AG completed successful industrial-scale validation of novel multi-compartment electrochemical lithium recycling technology for converting lithium from battery black mass into battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
- Qore (Joint Venture with Cargill)coreQore is a joint venture between HELM and Cargill that produces bio-based 1,4-Butanediol (QIRA) from renewable corn feedstock with up to 93% less CO2 emissions compared to fossil-based BDO. The $300-million facility in Eddyville, Iowa produces 66,000 metric tons annually.
- SPCI HELMcoreSPCI HELM is a leading producer, processor and service provider of industrial chemicals, focusing on the sulphur value chain. From processing to the production of sulphuric acid and aluminium sulphate, they serve industries such as oil and gas, glass and solar cells, as well as water treatment.
- ValenzcoreValenz is one of the global market leaders for methanol and offers customised solutions for the transport and storage of this versatile raw material. The company combines expertise from the entire value chain under one roof.
- TrilliumminorTrillium is developing an innovative process for the production of bio-based acrylonitrile (ACN), used in the production of carbon fibres or in water treatment. HELM has been financially involved since the development phase.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Helm China Co., Ltd. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Helm China Co., Ltd. social profiles
Digital presenceHelm China Co., Ltd. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Helm China Co., Ltd. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Helm China Co., Ltd. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Helm China Co., Ltd. subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Helm China Co., Ltd. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Helm China Co., Ltd. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Helm China Co., Ltd.
What does Helm China Co., Ltd. do?
Helm China Co., Ltd., as part of HELM AG, functions as a global chemical marketing and distribution company acting as a link between chemical manufacturers and industrial customers. It moves approximately 8 million tonnes of chemicals each year for more than 3,000 partners across 30+ countries, combining high-volume commodity trading with downstream specialty product marketing across base chemicals, intermediates, inorganics/acids & lyes, crop solutions, and energy/battery materials.
Is Helm China Co., Ltd. a public or private company?
Helm China Co., Ltd. is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Helm China Co., Ltd. founded?
Helm China Co., Ltd. was founded in 1900. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Helm China Co., Ltd. based?
Helm China Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Helm China Co., Ltd. make money?
One revenue line is on record: chemical Distribution and Trading.
Does Helm China Co., Ltd. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Helm China Co., Ltd..
What industry is Helm China Co., Ltd. in?
Helm China Co., Ltd.'s product category is Chemical Distribution & Marketing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAIALAJ, Chemicals & Petrochemicals (Non-Hazmat Specialized Handling), with a secondary code of AFABAIAL, Contract Warehousing, Blending & Distribution for Agrochemicals (bulk handling, IBC/drum management). Its NAICS code is 4246 and its SIC code is 5160.