LEVERKUSEN, Germany (Sept. 20)—Bayer MaterialScience A.G. is seeking to take over certain polyurethane activities of polymer additives specialist Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH—formerly a sister company under Bayer A.G.'s umbrella—according to a Bayer MaterialScience spokesman.
"Negotiations are on-going," the spokesman said, adding that Bayer MaterialScience's polyurethanes unit is particularly interested in Rhein Chemie's PU systems for elastomer applications.
Rhein Chemie is a unit of Lanxess GmbH, a supplier of specialty chemicals to the rubber, polyurethane, plastics, lubricant and leather industries that were part of Bayer's former chemicals, plastics and rubber businesses until they were spun off earlier this into a separate entity.
Rhein Chemie's offerings to the PU industry are produced mainly at its base in Mannheim, Germany. Products include hot-cast PU elastomer systems for wheels, rollers, roll covers and other technical molded parts, for which it also supplies amine crosslinking agents. Other products include cold-cast and light-fast urethane systems as well as one-component systems for precision coatings and flexible laminates.
The firm's urethane additives portfolio covers catalysts, surfactants as well as its Stabaxol range of hydrolysis protection agents for polyester-based elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes and integral skin foam systems, for applications such as shoe soles.