With the latest equipment for product development and the expansion of its production capacity, materials manufacturer Bayer MaterialScience continues to adapt to the needs of key sectors such as the automotive and construction industries. At its headquarters in Leverkusen, the company has outfitted a technical center for the advancement of premium foams with ultra-modern machines and systems. An additional production plant also was brought on stream there for coating raw materials, another global growth market. The total investment in both is more than EUR 45 million.These steps illustrate the company's adherence to its market-oriented investment policy. "This allows us to supply key industries more precisely and with higher volumes of exactly the products they need," said Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer MaterialScience. "Furthermore," he added, "the company is expanding its competence in developing new applications and manufacturing processes for its materials in close collaboration with customers." For example, Bayer MaterialScience helps to cope with challenges such as increasingly scarce natural resources, rising mobility and growing urbanization.
These trends can be met with polyurethane foam, for instance to insulate buildings and refrigeration systems, or for components that make cars lighter, more fuel efficient and more comfortable. As a leading manufacturer of polyurethane precursors, Bayer MaterialScience tests innovative solutions and processes at its new technical center in Leverkusen. It is equipped with the latest machines, enabling high efficiency and productivity in product development. Bayer MaterialScience has invested over EUR 10 million in the test center. In the medium to long term, the company expects the global polyurethane market to continue growing at an average annual rate of about five percent.
The global market for coating and adhesive raw materials is also on a growth course, and will likely increase by an average of roughly four percent per year. To meet the rising demand, Bayer MaterialScience is expanding production capacity for the precursors HDI and IPDI, which likewise are based on polyurethanes. The company invested a year and a half and EUR 35 million in the construction of a newly commissioned multipurpose plant in Leverkusen that can produce either of the raw materials depending on demand. The process is very environmentally compatible and highly efficient.
"With the production facility and the new technical center, we have set the course for strengthening our leading position as a developer and manufacturer of premium, chemistry-based materials," said Thomas. "Despite the current challenges, such as high energy and raw material costs and rising global competition, Bayer MaterialScience continues to have good prospects for long-term, profitable growth."
