Lanxess Increase Production

Lanxess has concluded the first stage of a program to increase production of neodymium polybutadiene rubber, or Nd-PBR in response to growing demand for high performance rubber.

The program will modify existing manufacturing lines so that multiple grades of material can be produced on the same line, including Nd-catalyzed PBR as well as lithium-PBR and solution styrene butadiene rubber SSBR.

Lanxess’ production locations in Port Jérôme, France, and Orange, USA, have undergone the modifications. “We now have even greater flexibility in Orange and Port Jérôme to manufacture increasing amounts of high performance Nd-PBR for our global tyre customers“, said Dr Joachim Grub, head of the business unit PBR of Lanxess.

More production lines will be modified in the second and third stages. This will give the company increased flexibility, says Lanxess, and the option to produce more state-of-the-art Buna® VSL (SSBR). “We have to be flexible, and we are able to supply high-performance PBR to the tyre industry worldwide. The use of high-performance PBR and VSL is expanding, and so we are,“ Grub concluded.