(openPR) - Compounding facility in Wuxi to increase capacity by almost 50 percent by mid-2011

Singapore - LANXESS Semi-Crystalline Products business unit reached a milestone when production of high-tech plastics at the company’s compounding facility in Wuxi, China passed the 100,000-ton mark. The facility, which has been in operation since January 2006, compounds Durethan (polyamide 6 and 66) and Pocan (polybutylene terephthalate and its blends) for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

“This production capability formed the basis for the rapid expansion of our business in the Asia-Pacific region and has resulted in one of LANXESS biggest success stories in the last five years. It is also a tribute to the successful transfer of technology and production know-how from Germany to China,” explains Dr. Hubert Fink, head of Semi-Crystalline Products. LANXESS only recently announced plans to increase the capacity of its compounding facility by almost 50 percent to around 60,000 tons/year by mid-2011.

The compounding facility is a cornerstone of the strategy whereby LANXESS has positioned itself as one of the leading suppliers of polyamide and polybutylene terephthalate plastics on the Asian markets in general, and the booming Chinese market in particular. In addition to the facility, the company has also invested in recent years heavily in expanding its technical service and marketing organization in Wuxi. This involved, among other things, the establishment of a Research and Development Testing Center (RDTC) designed to carry out extensive material tests and thereby accelerate the development of new grades of Durethan and Pocan.

“We want to bring not only our production close to our Asian customers, but also our services, which cover every stage in the successful development of a component,” stated Fink.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 5.06 billion in 2009 and currently around 14,300 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 43 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at www.lanxess.sg.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 5.06 billion in 2009 and currently around 14,300 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 43 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at www.lanxess.sg.

Maggie Tan
LANXESS Pte Ltd
Corporate Communications, Asia Pacific
3A International Business Park
#07-10/18 ICON@IBP Tower B
Singapore 609935
Phone:   (65) 6725 5821
Mobile:  (65) 91863323
Email: maggie.tan@lanxess.com