Lanxess integrates Rhein Chemie unit

Crain News Service report

PITTSBURGH (Aug. 5, 2015) — Synthetic rubber producer Lanxess Corp. has merged its Rhein Chemie Corp. rubber additives subsidiary into Lanxess itself, making it part of the newly created Rhein Chemie Additives unit, the firm said in an Aug. 3 news release.

The move means Rhein Chemie Corp. no longer will be a separate legal entity.

Lanxess Corp. is the U.S. subsidiary of Cologne, Germany-based Lanxess A.G.

The merger is part of Lanxess' company-wide restructuring program initiated in 2014 that resulted in the consolidation to 10 business units from 14.

The Rhein Chemie Additives Unit came into existence Jan. 1 and combines the former Rhein Chemie business with Functional Chemicals and Rubber Chemicals' specialty chemicals product lines.

Rhein Chemie Additives develops, manufactures and distributes additives and services for polymer and specialty chemicals processors with more than 4,000 customized agents.

The unit's rubber additives business area provides a range of pre-dispersed chemicals, processing agents, vulcanization and filler activators, anti-sun check waxes, release agents, tire marking inks and high-performance bladders for tire production. Among the unit's brand names are Aktiplast, Rhenodiv, Rhenogran, Rhenoshape and Vulkalent.

Lanxess reported sales of about $9 billion in 2014. It employs 16,300 in 29 countries at 52 production sites.

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This report appeared on the website of Rubber & Plastics News, an Akron-based sister publication of Tire Business.