LANXESS On Track to Start Up New Jhagadia Site in 2010

Relocation of rubber chemicals plant and construction of ion exchange resins plant on schedule
- Plans to build natural gas-based cogeneration plant and advanced waste water management system
- Achievement of 1.65 million accident-free man hours to date

Mumbai/Leverkusen – LANXESS India Private Limited, the Indian subsidiary of specialty chemicals company LANXESS, is on track to start up its new Jhagadia site, Gujarat state, in 2010. With an investment of around EUR 50 million, the site will have a new ion exchange resins plant and a rubber chemicals plant, which is being relocated from Thane, Maharashtra state. The plants will employ 230 workers in total.

“The Jhagadia site will be our largest production site in India and highlights our long-term commitment to the growing domestic market,” said Joerg Strassburger, Managing Director of LANXESS India Private Limited, at a media event.

India is already showing signs of recovery from the economic crisis and will remain a strategic pillar of LANXESS’s growth strategy in BRIC countries.

The equipment from the rubber chemicals plant, traveling 320 kilometers from Thane, has arrived at the Jhagadia site. This includes several reactors, storage tanks, and thousands of parts, such as pumps, filters and pipes.

“From early 2010, the rubber chemicals plant is scheduled to serve the rapidly growing Indian market as well as export market. In addition, this plant will make LANXESS the only Western company active in this line of business in India,” said Luis Lopez Remon, Global Head of Rubber Chemicals business unit.

LANXESS is also on schedule to start up its ion exchange resins plant, which will be the most modern of its kind in Asia. It will supply products for the generation of ultra-pure water for the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries, for industrial water treatment, for food production and for power generation.

“The water industry, which caters to basic human needs, is less affected by the economic crisis than other industries. As a result of the booming population and increasing urbanization in India, demand for clean water will further increase,” said Michael Zobel, Global Head of the Ion Exchange Resins business unit.

In addition, LANXESS will build a natural gas-based cogeneration plant to supply steam and electricity to the rubber chemicals and ion exchange resins plants.

At the new ion exchange resins plant, the wastewater management will be another noteworthy feature. The wastewater is thoroughly pre-cleaned before it is released into the effluent pipe at the Jhagadia Chemical Park. This process takes place in a separate, modern LANXESS treatment plant and ensures that all used water is well within discharge limits, when it leaves the company premises.

LANXESS has set very high standards in safety for Jhagadia, with a recorded 1.65 million accident-free man hours on the building site to date. This is an achievement which reinforces LANXESS’s global commitment towards stringent safety measures for employees.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 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.lanxessgoesasia.com

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.


Maggie Tan
Corporate Communications
LANXESS Pte Ltd
9 Benoi Sector, Singapore 629844
Tel       (65) 6725 5888
Direct   (65) 6725 5821
Email   maggie.tan@lanxess.com
Web: http://www.lanxess.com/ , http://www.lanxessgoesasia.com/

This release was published on openPR.