Oświęcim, Poland – Synthos SA and Groupe Michelin have recently signed a licencing agreement allowing the chemicals group to increase the production capacity of its neodymium polybutadiene rubber (Nd BR rubber) plants in the Czech Republic.
The deal will allow the Polish chemical group – as licensee – to increase Nd BR capacity at the facilities to 132 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) from 80ktpa currently, according to a 22 March statement from Zbigniew Warmuz, CEO of Synthos.
The memorandum of agreement, signed on 26 Aug 2016, builds on a 2007 licensing agreement from 2007. It was entered into with licensors: Compagnie Générale des Etablissements Michelin of Clermont-Ferrand, France; and Michelin Recherche et Technique SA, based in Granges-Paccot, Switzerland.
Synthos did not give details of cost for extending the license but said it comprised a flat fee and a variable component in the form of royalties depending on the sales volume of the licensed products.