LANXESS opens Rubber Research Center in Qingdao

German specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG has recently opened a new Rubber Research Center in Qingdao, Shandong Province.

Established in close cooperation with Qingdao’s University of Science and Technology (QUST), the world-class research center is located within the university’s vicinity. It is jointly operated by the LANXESS business units Technical Rubber Products, Butyl Rubber and Performance Butadiene Rubbers, and marks an investment of some USD 16 million.

“The Rubber Research Center (RRCQ) will cover complete functions, ranging from fundamental research involving the development of new products and techniques, to technical customer support and preparing the commercialization of future inventions,” explained Juergen Gunther, Head of the Business Line Specialties from LANXESS Technical Rubber Products business unit and project manager responsible for the RRCQ.

“With the opening the RRCQ today, we now expand our R&D network in this important market,” said Guenther Weymans, Head of Technical Rubber Products business unit. “Through our research network, LANXESS is strategically building up key competencies for sustainable success in China. It enables us to train skilled and loyal staff with high technical expertise to develop high quality products, which are environment-compatible and appropriate for the Chinese market.”

“The cooperation with QUST and the location in Qingdao are an ideal strategic fit for LANXESS. Around 50 % of the Chinese rubber industry is located in and around Qingdao, and QUST is the top university for Chinese rubber engineers, accounting for roughly 80 % of all graduates,” said Weymans. “It not only allows for the increasing importance of China as a research location, but makes an important contribution to ensure the company’s sustainable performance in the strategic Chinese rubber market.” The Asia Pacific region already accounts for around 40 % of the global synthetic rubber market. LANXESS expects high growth rates also for the future, mainly driven by the Chinese rubber market, which the company estimates to grow by 10 % per year by 2013.

The location close to QUST will allow the co-supervisory of PhD students with professors from QUST. The PhD students will have the opportunity to do research work on innovative rubber product design and development at the RRCQ while taking their theoretical education at the university. This way, the cooperation with QUST creates a win-win situation for LANXESS and the Chinese rubber industry: PhD graduates will have an excellent education from the leading rubber university in China, working experience at one of the world’s largest synthetic rubber manufacturers, and good knowledge of the company’s products.

LANXESS has constantly expanded its research network in China. In 1997 the operation of a R&D Center for Leather Chemicals in Wuxi started. In 2005, the company opened a Technical Center for Technical Rubber Products in Shanghai, and the Semi-Crystalline Products Research and Development Testing Center in Wuxi was inaugurated in 2007. The same year, Performance Butadiene Rubbers concluded a cooperation agreement with the Beijing Research and Design Institute of Rubber Industry. In 2008, LANXESS opened a Material Protection Products microbiology laboratory in Wuxi.

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