LANXESS displays innovative solutions at Industry Forum

The theme of the internationally renowned conference and exhibition, which took place on June 19 and 20 this year, was “The changing automotive industry – strategies, concepts, solutions”. LANXESS’ presentation focused on products and technologies for lightweight construction.

“Our high-performance thermoplastics and hybrid technology alone can reduce the weight of a vehicle by an average of 50 kilograms. This equates to fuel savings of up to 4 percent and a reduction in CO2 emissions of over 0.5 kilograms per 100 kilometers,” Dr. Werner Breuers explained. The LANXESS Board of Management member was a keynote speaker at this year's forum.

LANXESS – a heavyweight in lightweight construction

In his address, entitled “Aspects and trends in lightweight automobile construction”, Breuers outlined the specialty chemicals company's complete spectrum of products that have huge potential for application in “green” mobility concepts.

“Thanks to our global network of production sites and centers of expertise, which we are continually expanding, we are able to support our partners from the international automotive industry all over the world in developing sustainable, efficient vehicles,” said Breuers.

In particular, he highlighted the opportunities to reduce the weight of the bodywork, drive train, fittings and chassis offered by the high-tech plastics Durethan and Pocan and TEPEX high-performance composites. Citing examples of innovation, Breuers made reference to components such as the first polyamide car brake pedal to be reinforced with continuous glass fibers and designed for large-scale series production and the first front end carriers made entirely of polyamide 6.

Innovative products for green mobility

The front end carrier was one of the exhibits at the LANXESS stand in Wolfsburg. Also on show was a housing for a passenger airbag module in nylon composite sheet hybrid technology that is over 30 percent lighter than a series-produced, injection-molded version made of polyamide 6.

LANXESS experts used sample panels to explain the enormous lightweight construction potential opened up by TEPEX continuous-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic high-performance composites. Using the example of a seat for a premium sedan, they demonstrated that weight can also be noticeably reduced when using leather for car seats. Another exhibit highlight was a concept tire developed by LANXESS itself based on its rubber grades and additives. This tire is one of the first in the world to receive an AA grade under EU mandatory tire labeling.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.1 billion in 2012 and roughly 17,400 employees in 31 countries. The company is currently represented at 50 production sites worldwide.

The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and FTSE4Good as well as the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI).

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