abhishreshthaa
Abhijeet S
Ashland Inc. is a Fortune 500 company which operates in more than 100 countries throughout the world. Presently based in Covington, Kentucky, in the United States, the company traces its roots back to Ashland, Kentucky (for which it is named)
Ashland was founded in 1924 as Ashland Refining Company of Ashland, Kentucky, by Paul G. Blazer.[1] In 1930, the nearby Tri-State Refining Company was purchased, adding 5,500 barrels per day of capacity to the company. The company continued to merge or acquire other oil companies, combining with Swiss Oil in 1936, Allied Oil in 1948, Aetna Oil in 1949, and purchasing Frontier Oil Refining and National Refining in 1950. By that time, the company began to diversify, adding petrochemicals to its portfolio with the acquisition of R. J. Brown Company in 1956 and United Carbon in 1963.
Strengths
* Large asset pool
* Strong general banking segment
* Leading market position
* Strong customer service
Weaknesses
* Narrowly focused geographical locations
* Exposure to subprime mortgage market
Opportunities
* Integration, European Credit Management (majority stake only)
* Expansion of credit card business
* Wealth management
* Expansion outside of the US
Threats
* Weak mortgage market in the US
* Economic slowdown in the US
* Further industry consolidation
* Increased competition from European banks
Ashland was founded in 1924 as Ashland Refining Company of Ashland, Kentucky, by Paul G. Blazer.[1] In 1930, the nearby Tri-State Refining Company was purchased, adding 5,500 barrels per day of capacity to the company. The company continued to merge or acquire other oil companies, combining with Swiss Oil in 1936, Allied Oil in 1948, Aetna Oil in 1949, and purchasing Frontier Oil Refining and National Refining in 1950. By that time, the company began to diversify, adding petrochemicals to its portfolio with the acquisition of R. J. Brown Company in 1956 and United Carbon in 1963.
Strengths
* Large asset pool
* Strong general banking segment
* Leading market position
* Strong customer service
Weaknesses
* Narrowly focused geographical locations
* Exposure to subprime mortgage market
Opportunities
* Integration, European Credit Management (majority stake only)
* Expansion of credit card business
* Wealth management
* Expansion outside of the US
Threats
* Weak mortgage market in the US
* Economic slowdown in the US
* Further industry consolidation
* Increased competition from European banks