Lanxess Combines Rubber and Colourant Additive Businesses

Lanxess AG has revised its organisational structure, following its latest acquisition of US firm Chemtura. The two business lines rubber additives business (RAB) and colourant additives business (CAB) now both belong to the Rhein Chemie business unit. 

Lanxess’s goal with this restructuring is to adopt a more targeted approach with an even stronger customer focus. The unit will in the future cover speciality business with active ingredient compounds, speciality chemicals and processing aids for the rubber, plastics and colourants industries.

The new head of colourant additives business is Dominik Risse, who is returning to the operational side of the business from the M&A group function to take charge of this business line. He was previously responsible for Lanxess’s colourants business in his role as head of marketing.

The name Rhein Chemie, which has been a hallmark of success in the chemical industry for over 125 years, will remain the umbrella brand for rubber and colourants business. Lubricant and flame retardant additives business, meanwhile, has been transferred to Lanxess’s additives business unit. Together, these two business units form the speciality additives segment in the company’s extended organisational structure.

The Rhein Chemie business unit currently has around 1,000 employees and supplies more than 2,000 products to over 3,000 customers in 120 countries across the globe. It is split into two business lines:

Rubber additives business

RAB supplies the rubber industry with a broad range of pre-dispersed chemicals, processing promoters, vulcanization and filler activators, anti-sun check waxes, release agents, tire marking inks and high-performance bladders. It provides a wide selection of products from a single source for all applications in the rubber processing industry and also supports important developments in this sector through innovation.

Colourant additives business

CAB is a leading supplier of high-quality colourants for use in numerous demanding applications and manufactures organic colourants at a state-of-the-art production facility in Leverkusen. It serves customers around the world with the help of a global logistics and warehousing network. Outstanding product quality, long-standing technical expertise, high innovation capability and the fulfilment of wide-ranging regulatory requirements are the critical qualification standards of this business line.

“The two business lines have similar requirements and the realignment caters to our specialised business, which sometimes involves small volumes,” said Philipp Junge, head of the Rhein Chemie business unit since April. He is also in charge of RAB having been responsible for this business line since the end of 2014.