German chemicals firm Rhein Chemie, a wholly owned subsidiary of speciality chemicals company Lanxess, achieved global sales of EUR346 million in fiscal 2013, a slight increase over the previous year (EUR344 million). The strong euro in particular put a dampener on sales development.

The Lanxess group generated 9% lower sales of EUR8.3 billion in 2013.

Rhein Chemie earned almost half its sales, or EUR154 million, in Europe. The US is now the largest market, with sales of EUR65 million with China posting the highest growth. Sales there rose by 12% over the previous year to EUR50 million.

“We have already integrated our acquisitions extremely successfully into Rhein Chemie,” says Dr. Anno Borkowsky, CEO and President of Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH. “In the past fiscal year, we also opened new production facilities for bladders and rubber additives and expanded existing facilities to serve as a basis for future growth.” Rhenoshape high-performance bladders for tyres are produced in the new plant in Porto Feliz, Brazil. The new production site in Lipetsk, Russia, produces the globally successful Rhenogran product line (predispersed polymer-bound rubber additives) that are used for manufacturing tyres, seals and damping elements, for example. At its site in Qingdao, China, Rhein Chemie has further expanded its Rhenogran production capacity by adding another production line.

After an 18-month construction period involving a total investment volume of EUR2.5 million, Rhein Chemie last year expanded a facility at its headquarters in Mannheim for producing additives for lubricant manufacturers and plastics processors. Rhein Chemie also invested EUR1.8 million in the construction of a social building for production, laboratory and workshop staff.

Furthermore, Rhein Chemie is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. In 1889, two young chemists set up an enterprise and registered it under the name Mueller & Dubois oHG in Mannheim’s District court. Today Rhein Chemie’s products comprise rubber, lubricant and plastics and for the worldwide markets.