May 4 2006
BASF is to acquire Lanxess’ business with styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymers in Europe and South America. The deal involves a total of approximately 14,000 metric tons SAN per year. Both companies agreed not to disclose details of the sale price. The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant authorities.
The transaction involves the transfer of customer lists, licenses for patents and know-how as well as inventory. The agreement will not involve the transfer of production sites or personnel. BASF will serve the acquired business from existing production capacities at its Ludwigshafen site. Lanxess and BASF will cooperate closely to ensure the smooth supply of products and technical services for all customers.
“This acquisition strengthens our position in SAN polymers in Europe and South America,” said Hans W. Reiners, head of BASF’s Styrenics division. BASF is already a leading supplier of SAN polymers, which it markets under its Luran® brand. “We are looking forward to supplying our new customers with products of high quality to which they are accustomed,” Reiners continued.
SAN polymers are used in many applications in the household and sanitary sectors, for packaging cosmetic products as well as for elec-tronic and office articles. Outstanding properties of these polymers in-clude their excellent transparency, high stiffness and resistance to fluc-tuating temperatures.
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