PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Nov. 7) — Lanxess Corp. said it plans to group its EPDM rubber units together under one central operation and create a new company under that umbrella in the U.S.
The global EPDM business will be headquartered in Germany with marketing management, controlling, manufacturing, and research and development grouped together as part of Lanxess Buna GmbH.
In the U.S., a new company, Lanxess Buna L.L.C., has been created that will include marketing management, manufacturing and controlling, a spokeswoman said. That unit will oversee production of EPDM products at Lanxess' plant in Orange, Texas, and report to the company in Germany.
EPDM currently is part of the company's Technical Rubber Products business. Formation of the new business unit should take place by early 2007, the spokeswoman said.
The idea behind the move is to increase Lanxess' focus on EPDM products because the segment is a core business, the firm said.
"The broad variety of EPDM applications complements Lanxess' rubber expertise and experience in numerous industries," said Robert Gnann, vice president of production and technology and managing director of Lanxess Buna. Gnann will head up the global EPDM business.
"It has a strong future, and the new structure allows us to seek more opportunities and to meet our customers' needs more efficiently," he said.