K Show Report: Lanxess looking ahead, not behindnew products ease launch anxiety

Breaking up is hard to do, especially when your partner has such a long and storied presence in the plastics industry as Bayer. But company officials at the show insisted they are excited about the entrepreneurial opportunity created by the spin-off from Bayer MaterialScience, effective early next year.
"We are proud of our Bayer heritage, but looking forward to distinguishing ourselves," said Terri Fitzpatrick, head, marketing communications. "We’re excited about having more of a hand in what we do."
Lanxess has assumed the nylon, polyester, rubber and additives portfolios of its former parent company. At K, the company featured a number of new applications, and at least one entirely new product, three grades of Pocan polyester designed for making molded interconnect devices (MIDs) using a laser direct structuring process (LDS) develop by LPKF Laser & Electronics AG. The material contains a specific organometallic compound that allows a laser to "draw" a high-resolution circuit layout on the surface. The parts are then plated in a copper bath. Compared with current production methods for MIDs, LDS is less expensive, Lanxess officials said.
Lanxess will operate two production facilities in Canada, a fibre/textile plant in Montreal, and a rubber facility in Sarnia.