LANXESS Pigments Color Iconic Stadium of South Africa World Cup 2010

22,000 kilograms of Bayferrox® pigments used to color facade of Soccer City Stadium
- LANXESS scores another success with coloring iconic buildings

German specialty chemicals company LANXESS is making a colorful impact, as the ultra-modern Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, gets ready to kick-off World Cup 2010 at the opening ceremony on June 11. The high-quality iron oxide pigments from LANXESS, marketed under the brand name Bayferrox®, are used in the colored glass-fiber-reinforced concrete panels of the stadium outer shell. Some 22,000 kilograms of LANXESS pigments are used to produce the 55,000 kilograms of liquid color for the spectacular facade.

The iron oxides, which LANXESS manufactures in the world's largest production plant for color pigments at its site in Krefeld-Uerdingen, have outstanding light and weather resistance and high color strength. The colors are supplied by one of LANXESS' sales partners, Harold Scholz & Co. GmbH. The stadium's design is inspired by the shape and color of the traditional African drinking pot, the "calabash". Therefore, the stadium is also called the "African Pot", symbolizing Africa's past and future. As Africa's largest stadium, it is also the iconic venue of World Cup 2010 where the opening and final matches will be played.

LANXESS' inorganic pigments are making powerful color statements in many symbolic buildings. For example, they were widely used in the construction of sports stadiums for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. LANXESS' Bayferrox® pigments were applied to the concrete and paving blocks at the Olympic Tennis Centre, the Archer Centre, the Hockey Stadium and National Gymnasium. In France, a blend of three different brown grades from LANXESS’ Bayferrox® range of iron oxides were used in the high-grade anti-corrosion coating for the repainting of the Eiffel Tower.

The distinct advantage of LANXESS' high-performance pigment products is their tight tolerances with respect to shade and tinting strength. This makes color reproduction faster, easier and more reliable when formulating paints and coatings; in many cases there is no need for shading work.

In China, the Inorganic Pigments business unit operates two state-of-the-art facilities in Shanghai: one plant in Jinshan produces yellow iron oxide pigments and another in Taopu further processes the world renowned Bayferrox® product line. With this setup, LANXESS serves the demand in China, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, the ASEAN region and other countries in the Asia-Pacific. These pigments from the plants are tailor-made for the region’s needs and are used in a wide variety of paint applications, such as marine coatings, industrial finishes, household paints, architectural coatings and colorant applications. Opened in 2007, the facility in Jinshan is a prime example of environmentally friendly pigments production. It is not only the largest yellow pigments production site in Asia; it is also ahead of competition in China as it is equipped with a state-of-the-art waste water treatment facility that is directly linked to an industrial water treatment plant. Furthermore, in 2009, LANXESS conserved over 15 percent in total emissions by applying innovative technologies in energy utilization and water management.

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 42 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://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 42 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxess.sg.

LANXESS Pte Ltd
3A International Business Park
#07-10/18 ICON@IBP Tower B
Singapore 609935

Maggie Tan
Phone (65) 6725 5821
maggie.tan@lanxess.com

This release was published on openPR.