Lanxess expands Qingdao rubber R&D centre

ERJ staff report (RD)

Leverkusen, Germany - Lanxess AG has strengthened its R&D presence in Qingdao, China, with the Euro 10 million expansion of its High Performance Rubber R&D Center (RRCQ) in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China, the company said 22 May.

The expanded RRCQ now has an additional 400-sq.m rubber/testing laboratory and a 400-sq.m pilot plant. In total, the RRCQ covers 3000-sq.m, staffed by 15 employees and jointly operated by Lanxess's Technical Rubber Products and Performance Butadiene Rubbers business units.

The new rubber mixing and testing facility is designed to accelerate the development of innovative rubber products for the domestic Chinese market, Lanxess said, adding that R&D developments for the Lanxess Group are to increase by 10 percent in 2009, despite the economic downturn.

“To be ahead of the competition in the BRIC countries, we need to deliver tailor-made and innovative products to out Chinese customers,” said Werner Breuers, member of the Lanxess board. “This new research center will give us a competitive edge by developing new products and applications for the growing Chinese market,” he added.

“In spite of the economic downturn, we expect long-term growth in the tyre market and for other major rubber applications,” said Martin Kraemer, country representative of Lanxess Greater China. “Our goal is therefore to provide the Chinese market with value-added products by expanding our R&D network and local production to meet our customers' exact needs.”

Recently, Lanxess signed a cooperation agreement with Qingdao University of Science and Technology (QUST) to join forces in R&D and staff training for the rubber industries.

In other news from Asia, Lanxess has officially launched its Levatherm Fluororubber product in Asia, in conjunction with Russian rubber manufacturer Halopolymer, Moscow.

Fluororubbers are extremely resistant to chemicals and heat, being able to withstand service temperatures of up to 260°C, the company said.

“The demand for higher performance specialty chemical solutions is on the rise in Asia,” said Guenther Weymans, head of Lanxess Technical Rubber Products. “The addition of fluororubbers to our portfolio ensures that Lanxess has exactly the right elastomers for an even wider range of highly specialized applications,” he added.

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Press release from Lanxess AG

Fluororubber Press release from Lanxess AG