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A brand name’s 100th birthday

Caramba has progressed from expertise in rust removal to become a complete supplier of industrial chemicals for use in both workshop and industry

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Max Elb had no particular product in mind for the exotic-sounding name when he chose and registered Caramba as a trademark in Dresden in 1903. At that time his company produced and marketed chemicals and industrial products, as well as food, beverages and tobacco.
The trademark at last met its destiny in 1929, when a subsidiary of Max Elb AG launched a spray oil containing graphite under the name of Caramba. The company claims that this was an immediate success, offering as it did exactly the lubricating, protective and rust-removing qualities necessary for the maintenance of springs, linkage, joints and shafts in the vehicles of the day, which had chassis open to the road.
Caramba was first available in aerosol cans in the fifties.
A minor revolution took place in the fifties, by which time Caramba was being produced in Duisburg. Inspired by developments in America, the company began to use its own patented aerosol plant to launch chemical products in pressurizing gas cans, one of which was the Caramba rust treatment in 1952. During the sixties the Duisburg plant produced more than one million aerosol cans annually, and September 1976 saw the 50 millionth spray can leave the production facility. Today’s total is certainly more than a quarter of a billion.
Retro-look cans in the anniversary display.
As a manufacturer, Caramba Chemicals of Duisburg considers that it has successfully positioned its brand within the automotive and special chemicals segment. From its origins as a rust-removal expert, Caramba has developed into a full-range supplier, manufacturing industrial chemicals for use in the workshop, trade and industry alongside a broad programme of rust treatment products, as well as a great number of special automotive cleaning and care products including cockpit spray, rim cleaner and insect remover.
To celebrate the anniversary of its trademark the company is offering retailers a special “in and out” display that features the rust removers and silicone sprays in retro-look packaging.
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