LANXESS expands capacity for Macrolex dyes at its Leverkusen site

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will expand the capacity for Macrolex dyes at its Leverkusen site. With an investment volume of more than five million euros, the current production capacity is to be increased by 25 percent, which will be available from the end of 2018.

“With this capacity expansion, we want to meet the growing global demand for high-quality dyes for the plastics industry,” says Philipp Junge, head of LANXESS’s Rhein Chemie business unit. “We see a significant increase in demand, especially in Asia.”

Dominik Risse, who is responsible for the Colorant Additives Business at LANXESS, adds: “There are also stricter regulatory requirements. Especially in sensitive areas of application, particularly products with high purity, for which LANXESS is the market leader, are more and more needed.”

The investment is also a clear commitment to the Leverkusen site, Risse adds. The expansion represents a significant investment into the LANXESS colorants business, which will also create additional jobs at Chempark Leverkusen.

The soluble, organic dyes of the Macrolex brand are primarily used for the coloration of high-quality plastics products such as beverage bottles, electronic devices, car taillights and children’s toys. The products are utilized for coloring polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The portfolio of the LANXESS Colorant Additives Business comprises a total of 150 products and, in addition to Macrolex products, other high-quality colorants for use in a wide range of demanding applications, from liquid crystal displays to colorants in writing instruments. The business line supplies more than 800 customers worldwide with colorants and pigments.