Lanxess AG : High-tech products for green mobility

Leverkusen - Customized polyamides and polyesters for sustainable mobility concepts and colorants for plastics are the focal points of LANXESS' exhibition at INTERPLASTICA 2012 in Moscow. The leading plastics and rubber fair in Russia and the CIS countries is an ideal forum for the specialty chemicals group to present state-of-the-art innovations such as new lightweight construction methods for car bodywork. "The market for cars in this region has enormous potential. Excellent growth opportunities will open up in the next few years for the engineering polymers that we are developing for low-emission, efficient and environmentally friendly cars such as electrical or hybrid vehicles," said Dr. Werner Breuers, member of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG.

Lighter still - hybrid technology with nylon composite sheet
One of the main focuses of the exhibition are lightweight nylon composite sheets that can be used alone or together with metal sheet in plastic/metal composite designs (hybrid technology). LANXESS estimates that such composites can reduce component weight by another 10 percent compared to aluminum sheet hybrid designs. Nylon composite sheet hybrid technology is thus ideal for automotive lightweighting. In many cases in terms of cost-benefit aspects it provides an alternative to thermosetting plastics, which are reinforced with continuous carbon fibers. Components that LANXESS considers possible to produce directly using polyamide 6 in nylon composite sheet hybrid technology include lightweight front ends, car seats, seat cross-members, airbag housings and brake pedals.

Colors and effects for every trend
Another focus of the presentations will be the almost unlimited design freedom offered by the organic pigments from the Bayplast range, the Bayferrox inorganic color pigments and the soluble Macrolex organic colorants for coloring a wide variety of plastics. The range of uses extends from brake and rear fog lights and housings for household and electrical appliances to food contact applications such as drinks bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The high lightfastness, tinting strength and weather stability of these colorants prove their worth in all these applications.

Growth market of Russia
Alongside Brazil, India, China and South Africa, Russia is one of the BRICS states forming the focus of LANXESS' business. The group already generates 25 percent of its sales with customers from these growth regions. For example, the sales of almost EUR 50 million that LANXESS generated in Russia in the first nine months of 2011 were more than double those achieved in the whole of 2009 in the country. The passenger car market is growing particularly strongly. According to estimates, it will already be the biggest market in Europe by 2016, with more than three million vehicles produced.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.1 billion in 2010 and currently around 16,100 employees in 30 countries. The company is at present represented at 47 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainable indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and FTSE4Good.