Lanxess, the specialty chemicals company has announced that it has successfully completed the expansion of its Macrolex dyes production plant located at the Chempark Leverkusen. Over $5.5 million was dedicated to the expansion for a 25 percent increase in the site’s capacity. The expanded plant began operations this month. Philipp Junge, head of the Lanxess Rhein Chemie business unit (RCH), has opined that the expansion will cater to the rising demand for high-quality dyes in the global plastic industry. The revised capacity will facilitate the growth of the company particularly their application in industries like high-quality plastics packaging, as mentioned by Dominik Risse, Vice President, Colorant Additives Business at RCH.
The soluble organic dyes marketed under the Macrolex name are primarily used to color high-quality plastics products like beverage bottles, car lights, children’s toys, and electronic equipment. Lanxess’s profile of colorant additives business includes nearly 150 products, and apart from Macrolex’s dyes, it comprises of other high-quality colorants that can be used in a wide range of applications right from LCD screens to colorants employed in writing instruments. The product range serves more than 800 customers across the globe. Dr. Axel Lache, Head of Production of Colorant Additives at RCH has commented that with the expansion of their colorants business at the Chempark Leverkusen, the company has been able to create six new jobs.
Lanxess is also collaborating with the US-based AI company Citrine Informatics. The chemicals company has launched a pilot project dedicated to exploring the possible application of AI in plastics production. The project will also work to optimize the glass fibers used by Lanxess in the reinforcement of its high-performance plastics. With the new venture, Lanxess will pioneer customer-centric high-yielding plastics. The company hopes that the fusion of AI with plastic manufacturing will cut the amount of time required for the development of new materials.
Source: Bay State Herald