Lanxess

Krahn Chemie to distribute High Performance Elastomers portfolio in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia

PA/PBT compound capacity to double in USA / Higher auto production and light-weighting trend boosts demand

New CEO Zachert presents first details of new forward strategy / Performance Polymers unit head Breuers to leave the company / Earnings improve in Q2, but “further action” needed

Price hike for PA 6 in Europe and the Americas

New PA 6 polymer plant starts up in Antwerp / Own feedstock and glass fibre supply / Output to go towards automotive sector

Higher prices for “Durethan” PA 6 grades

EUR 18m synthetic rubber production line opened in Dormagen

“Strategic partners” sought for accelerated realignment / Too little cost control, too much investment in oversupplied markets, says new CEO / Site closures mulled / Earnings of Performance Polymers rise in Q1

Bayer, balloons and games people play

Specialty chemicals market to grow by 5.6% to 2018 / Government targets reduction in imports to 12% / TechSci Research report

Global price hike for technical rubber

Brazilian PA and PBT compounds plant inaugurated / Meeting rising local automotive demand

Global price hike for “Keltan” EPDM

Follow-up: Performance Polymers segment posts significant declines / PA production to commence in Belgium in Q3 / Former CEO Heitmann reportedly unhappy with severance package

Perlon-Monofil subsidiary sold to Munich Serafin group / Strategic move to divest non-core activities

Zachert to take over as Lanxess CEO on 1 April

Impairment charge for Q4 2013 and net loss for full year / Overcapacity for rubber and higher costs

Engineering thermoplastics consumption recovers slightly in 2013 / Gains driven by ABS and PMMA / Import volumes of PC, PA and SAN down / Asian producers increasingly step into the fold / Low local capacity utilisation rates / Plastinfo report

Lanxess replaces CEO Heitmann with former CFO Zachert / Dark clouds on the financial horizon

EPDM price increase

Research cooperation with LanzaTech / Project involving plastic feedstocks made from synthetic gas

Earnings forecast for 2013 narrowed / Q3 EBITDA down 26% / Q3 pricing hit by destocking

Extended distribution agreement with Mito Polimeri in Italy

Bio-based EPDM selected for window rubber seals in Brazil

EPDM price increase for Asia