June 27, 2008

Investments in Bitterfeld and Leverkusen bear fruit

Ion exchange resin production booming: Honors for plant managers and teams

The investments made by LANXESS in its ion exchange resin production facilities in Bitterfeld and Leverkusen are certainly bearing fruit. Jean-Marc Vesselle, head of Global Product Management and Strategic Development in the Ion Exchange Resins business unit, is delighted: “Now completed, the investment program – which cost a total of EUR 9 million – is well proving its worth. In the last 18 months, the plants have increased production volumes of our extremely popular premium product Lewatit by more than ten percent.”

On June 26, 2008, Bitterfeld plant manager Gerold Schade, his Leverkusen colleague Wolfgang Zarges and their respective teams were duly honored for their achievements and production records by Michael Zobel. The head of the Ion Exchange Resins business unit (BU ION) presented them with awards as part of the celebrations to mark the commissioning of a new Lewatit production line in Leverkusen.

The expansion of the ion exchange resin facility at the site brings a considerable and urgently needed increase in capacity. “Demand for high-quality ion exchange resins has risen dramatically. Our order books are full. To cope with the growth in demand, we had to add a further production line to our plant in Leverkusen,” explains Vesselle.

For Vesselle, it was extremely important that customers could be supplied with the required amounts as quickly as possible without any compromises in terms of quality. According to plant manager Zarges, the necessary building work was completed in only eight months. “For a project of this scale, we would normally reckon with a period of 18 months between authorization being granted and the first product coming off the line,” he remarks. Zarges also points out an additional achievement: “Although the building work was carried out in a plant that has been working at full capacity for two years, it did not have any significant impact on the plant’s output.”

See the press information _here for more details