- Foundation in 1864:Conrad Wilhelm Schmidt founds CWS in Düsseldorf
- 1867:Expansion of the company by taking over the Foerster paint factory in Ratingen
- 1879: Establishment of a location in London to supply the British market
- 1882: Establishment of a location in Brussels, primarily for spirit containing paints
- 1889: CWS receives a gold medal of excellence at a world exhibition in Paris
- 1946: New start after the 2nd World War in a former paper factory in Düren
- 1963: Relocation of the last installations, administration and head office from Düsseldorf to Düren s
- 1964: 100-Year Anniversary
- 1969: As one of the first paint manufacturers, CWS produces powder coatings based on epoxy resins
- 1970: Commissioning of the first extruders at CWS to produce powder coatings with shorter curing times and lower baking temperatures.
- 1972: The total annual consumption of powder coatings in Germany has exceeded 2,000 tonnes for the first time.
- 1974: Start of production of polyester resins combined with epoxy resins. These hybrid coatings quickly reach 60% of the market share
- 1983: At CWS, more than 1,000 tonnes are produced per year for the first time.
- 1985: Start of production of powder coatings in the new CWS plant with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes per year
- 1990: Establishment of a subsidiary in Denmark to serve the Scandinavian market.
- 1999: The organisation is split into three different companies, CWS Powder Coatings GmbH, CWS Resins GmbH and CWS Baufarben GmbH. The CWS Lackfabrik GmbH & Co. functions only as a classical holding company.
- 2000: Establishment of a subsidiary in New York, USA
- 2004: CWS Powder Coatings GmbH takes over the powder coating manufacturer Dörken and becomes the largest private powder coating manufacturer.
- 2005:Expansion of production capacity at CWS Powder Coatings USA. Establishment of a new heat-resistant product line CEWETHERM. A new production department is set up for this purpose.
- 2006: Establishment of a subsidiary in Poland
- 2014: 150th Anniversary of CWS
- 2016: New raw materials warehouse built
- 2018:New TCC built (Technic Competence Center)
- 2020: New access road constructed, CWS Street inaugurated, new loading docks. New warehouse built with 10,000 pallet spaces
- 2023: CWS becomes a member of the KANSAI HELIOS Group and part of Kansai Paint. This makes the company one of the world’s leading paint manufacturers.
- 2025: As of July 1, 2025, CWS markets its powder coating specialties under the KANSAI HELIOS brand, thereby strategically integrating the entire product range more visibly into the group’s system supplier offering.
- 2026: On 1 October 2026, CWS Powder Coatings GmbH will become KANSAI HELIOS Germany GmbH. Following the introduction of the KANSAI HELIOS brand for the powder coatings business in July 2025, the company’s name change represents another step in its integration into the KANSAI HELIOS Group and supports a consistent market presence across the entire group.
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