Written on 11.01.2012 - Industry
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Rhein Chemie opens its new production facility in Jhagadia, India

F.l.t.r.: Dr. Anno Borkowsky, Dr. Rainier van Roessel (Member of the Board, Lanxess), Dr. Joerg Strassburger (Country Representative Lanxess India), Dr. Torsten Derr (Business Unit Head MPP, Lanxess), Dr. Dattaprasad Talekar (Site Head Jhagadia, Lanxess)

Rhein Chemie has opened its new production facility at the Jhagadia site in the Indian state of Gujarat, successfully completing the transfer of production from Madurai in southern India after a construction time of just under a year.

According to the company, the main factors in the decision to relocate were the infrastructure and good opportunities for future expansion offered by the large Lanxess production site at Jhagadia and its proximity to key customers. At the facility, Rhein Chemie produces its Rhenogran (predispersed polymer-bound additives) and Rhenodiv (tyre release agents) product lines for the rubber processing industry.

“Our state-of-the-art production plants will help us to optimally serve the fast-growing Indian market. We offer our customers in India a broad range of products at a consistently high level of quality,” said Dr. Anno Borkowsky, CEO and President of Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH.

“Quality is already the decisive competitive factor for many of our Indian customers. This benefits Rhein Chemie, because we offer both, local technical consulting and premium, reliable products,” noted Sriganesh U.P, head of the Rhein Chemie business in India.

Rhein Chemie has continuously strengthened its presence on the Indian subcontinent in recent years, using local production and a qualified sales and consulting team to establish itself as a partner to the Indian rubber industry. The company’s business in India has more than tripled in the past four years and it aims to achieve further growth, for example with its new solutions for the tyre industry. Last year, Rhein Chemie greatly expanded its portfolio for the tyre industry by acquiring Darmex, a specialist for bladder and release agents, and taking over the tyre release agent business of Wacker Chemie.

“Our aim is for an ever-increasing number of tyre manufacturers in India to experience for themselves the quality and cost advantages that they can achieve in tyre production using our Rhenoshape high-performance bladders in combination with our release agents. We see great potential there,” said Frank Lueckgen, Executive Vice President of Rhein Chemie’s Rubber Division.

Rhein Chemie is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the specialty chemicals company Lanxess.