Arlanxeo – synthetic rubber JV’s Executive Board named
The Executive Board for the new Arlanxeo synthetic rubber joint venture has been announced, with parent companies Lanxess and Saudi Aramco gaining equal representation on the four-person Board.
Tag Archive for: Lanxess
Arlanxeo – 1 April launch for Lanxess, Saudi Aramco synthetic rubber firm
State-owned oil company Saudi Aramco and specialty chemicals company Lanxess report that all pertinent authorities have cleared the joint venture agreement signed by the two parties last September, and as a result their joint synthetic rubber company will come into being on 1 April 2016. The 50/50 joint venture will be known as Arlanxeo.
Lanxess to share latest rubber research at Tire Technology Expo
In addition to showcasing its latest tyre industry developments at next month’s Tire Technology Expo in Hannover, Germany, the Tire and Specialty Rubbers (TSR) business unit of specialty chemicals company Lanxess will deliver two presentations on research into potential ways to further optimise tyre rubber compound.
Lanxess exhibiting ‘Rhenoshape’ tyre curing bladders at TTE
Lanxess Rhein Chemie Additives is presenting its Rhenoshape tyre curing bladders at Tire Technology Expo this February. The products have been developed at the firm’s new production plant in China.
According to the company, the Rhenoshape bladders are the result of investment in injection moulding technology and permanently coated bladders, and are the latest product in the company’s portfolio of eco-friendly Rhenodiv tyre release agents, Rhenomark tyre marking inks, and curing bladders.
Chinese production of Rhein Chemie tyre curing bladders begins
Rhein Chemie Additives has opened a production line for Rhenoshape tyre curing bladders at its Chinese production site in Qingdao. The Lanxess business unit set up the facility with a “low single-digit million euro” investment and initially the new production line will expand Rhein Chemie Additives’ global production capacity by around ten per cent. The operation in Qingdao is the company’s fourth bladder plant.
Lanxess appoints Fink to management board
Dr Hubert Fink, head of Lanxess AG’s Advanced Industrial Intermediates business unit, will become the fourth member of the company’s Board of Management on 1 October. Fink’s area of responsibility on the board will cover the Advanced Intermediates segment, including the Advanced Industrial Intermediates and Saltigo business units, and the High Performance Materials business unit; he will also assume responsibility for the Global Procurement & Logistics group function and the Production, Technology, Safety and Environment (PTSE) group function, which combines all production-related services.
Lanxess and Saudi Aramco create synthetic rubber joint venture
Specialty chemicals company Lanxess and Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, today signed an agreement to establish a synthetic rubber joint venture. Lanxess and Aramco Overseas Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, will each hold a 50 per cent stake in the €2.75 billion venture, with Saudi Aramco paying approximately €1.2 billion in cash for its 50 per cent share after deducting debt and other financial liabilities.
Lanxess preparing tyre, rubber business units for partnership
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Lanxess states it has initiated a carve-out process to transfer its rubber business to a legally independent business entity within the Lanxess Group. The plan is for the new entity to include the company’s Tire & Specialty Rubbers (TSR) and High Performance Elastomers (HPE) business units, which together operate 20 production facilities and have some 3,700 employees.
Lanxess claims “record time” certification for Lipetsk Rhein Chemie site
In mid-2013, Lanxess’ Rhein Chemie Additives business unit opened a new facility in the Lipetsk Industrial Park, around 300 miles southeast of Moscow. Although the plant has produced polymer-bound rubber additives for almost two years now, Lanxess states “it was clear” that “lasting commercial success” with tyre and rubber industry customers in Russia wouldn’t be feasible unless the facility achieved the appropriate ISO certification, and therefore it set about obtaining this at the start of last year.
On-road test: Fuel efficient tyres make ‘economic and environmental sense’
The average difference in fuel consumption gained by fitting tyres with a ‘B’ EU tyre label fuel efficiency rating instead of ‘F’ rated tyres is around 4.1 per cent, suggests a test carried out in Germany. The six-vehicle test was jointly conducted by Chemical manufacturer Lanxess and energy provider RheinEnergie as part of a project run together by RheinEnergy and the City of Cologne over the last few years.
Lanxess introduces SSBR products
The recently-formed Lanxess Tire & Specialty Rubbers business unit is introducing two new SSBR products, Buna FX 3234A-2HM and Buna VSL 3038-2HM. Both were developed as alternatives to Buna VSL 2438-2HM, a substance currently widely used in the tyre industry, and aim to offer tyre manufacturers greater options for producing low rolling resistance tyres.
Lanxess reports higher Q3 profits as second phase of realignment begins
Talk of a “three-phase realignment” and workforce downsizing dominated the release of Lanxess AG’s third quarter 2014 results this month. The specialty chemicals company says it is making “rapid progress” with its realignment programme and aims to achieve annual savings of €150 million by the end of 2016 via the implementation of the first realignment phase, which culls the company’s global headcount by around 1,000. Half these reductions will occur in Germany, where Lanxess is based, and mainly affect the company’s administrative and service units, marketing and sales, along with research and development.
Lanxess posts improved Q2 income
Although volumes at Lanxess increased two per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014, this could not fully offset the five per cent decline in selling prices it experienced. Therefore, the company’s overall sales fell 5.7 per cent year-on-year to €2.02 billion. “The continuing low earnings level and increasing competition show the need for further action to improve competitiveness,” said Board of Management chairman Zachert.
Breuers steps down from Lanxess role as restructuring gets in swing
Preparation for certain aspects of the restructuring awaiting Lanxess AG has already begun, and come at a time when the company is able to report improved year-on-year performance. The group-wide programme initiated by the company’s Board of Management on 24 July 2014 will see the number of Lanxess business units shrink from 14 to ten and will involve cuts to the company’s global administrative workforce. The business unit mergers will take effect 1 January 2015.
Employee representatives consulted as Lanxess restructuring begins
The Board of Management at German specialty chemicals company Lanxess AG initiated a company-wide restructuring programme at its meeting on 24 July, however detailed information about the shape this restructuring will take won’t be made public until later this year. At present, the measures planned as part of the programme are being discussed with the company’s Supervisory Board and employee representatives.
