(openPR) - German specialty chemicals company LANXESS and one of China’s largest tire companies Triangle Group have further strengthened their long-term partnership. Both companies have signed an agreement under which LANXESS will supply Triangle with premium halobutyl rubbers from 2012-2014. Financial details were not disclosed. LANXESS has been supplying Triangle with regular and halobutyl rubbers for more than 10 years.

An agreement was signed at the headquarters of Triangle in Weihai, Shangdong province, by Ron Commander, Global Head of LANXESS’ butyl rubber business unit and Lin Bin, Senior Vice President of Triangle Tyre Co. Ltd.

”This new agreement will further strengthen the already successful partnership between Triangle and LANXESS, “said Commander. “China is already the largest tire and automotive market in the world and is set to grow even further, driven by the megatrend mobility.”

“We have secured a reliable supply of top-quality butyl rubber, which will help us respond to increasing global demand for tires,” said Lin.

Halobutyl rubbers are used in tire inner liners - the innermost, air- and humidity-impermeable layer of a tubeless tire. They keep tire pressure constant over a long period, thus making vehicles safer and ensuring they consume less fuel and therefore produce fewer harmful emissions.

Triangle Group Co. is one of the largest tire companies in China with integrated R&D, manufacturing and sales. Its major products include passenger tires, light-truck tires, truck and bus radial tires, as well as off-the-road tires. It has an annual capacity of 23 million units and sells in over 160 countries and regions around the world.

The Butyl Rubber business unit is part of LANXESS’ Performance Polymers segment, which achieved total sales of EUR 3.8 billion in 2010.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.1 billion in 2010 and currently around 15,500 employees in 30 countries. The company is at present represented at 46 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.

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.

Information for editors:
All LANXESS news releases and their accompanying photos can be found at press.lanxess.com. Recent photos of the Board of Management and other LANXESS image material are available at photos.lanxess.com. The latest TV footage, audio files and podcasts can be found at corporate.lanxess.com/en/media/audio-video

You can find further information concerning LANXESS chemistry in our WebMagazine at webmagazine.lanxess.com.

LANXESS Pte. Ltd.
Corporate Communications
3A International Business Park
#07-10/18 ICON@IBP Tower B
Singapore 609935
Press Contact
Edwin Ong
Tel:      (65) 6725 5888
Direct: (65) 6725 5725
Fax:    (65) 6725 4725
Email:   Edwin.Ong@lanxess.com
Web:    www.lanxess.sg/