Singapore - German specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG has signed a cooperation agreement with Qingdao University of Science and Technology (QUST) to join forces in R&D, product commercialization and staff training for the rubber industries.

It is a significant step for LANXESS—one of the world's largest producers for synthetic rubber—since the opening of the Rubber Research Center in Qingdao in 2008 in close cooperation with QUST.

“With the agreement, we expand our R&D network in this important market,” says Martin Kraemer, CEO of LANXESS Greater China. “Through our research network, LANXESS is strategically building up key competencies for sustainable success in China.  It enables us to develop high quality and eco-friendly products, prepare the commercialization of future inventions, and train skilled and committed staff with advanced technical expertise to meet the needs of customers in China with precision.”

LANXESS’s Rubber Research Center in Qingdao was established in July 2008.  This world-class research center is located within the university’s vicinity.  It is jointly operated by the LANXESS business units Technical Rubber Products, Butyl Rubber and Performance Butadiene Rubbers, and marks an investment of some USD 16 million.

LANXESS is a leader in specialty chemicals with sales in 2007 of EUR 6.61 billion and currently around 15,000 employees in 21 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacture and sale of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.

Information for editors:
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Singapore  February 5, 2009

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