Bayer 2007/2/6
Bayer MaterialScience intends to expand annual capacity of TDI
production facility in Shanghai to 300,000 tons
Innovative production technology means much lower costs
Bayer MaterialScience AG intends to boost the annual capacity of
the planned plant for producing toluene
diisocyanate (TDI) in Shanghai from 160,000 to 300,000 tons. This Bayer subgroup is harnessing
an innovative process technology in the construction that, among
other things, enables investment and energy costs to be
dramatically reduced. "This expansion reinforces our
commitment to one of the world's most important growth
regions," explained Chairman of the Bayer
Board of Management, Werner Wenning. Bayer MaterialScience is
planning to invest a total of around US$ 1.8 billion at the
Shanghai site by 2009.
The integrated Shanghai site is intended to become a central base
in Bayer MaterialScience's production network in the Asia-Pacific
region. The approval procedures for expanding capacity have
already been initiated. "Our new world-scale plant is
designed to supply customers in the region's growth markets in
the long term and is scheduled to be ready in 2009 as
planned," said Patrick Thomas, Chairman of
the Board of Management of Bayer MaterialScience AG. The company
intends to use part of its production capacity to supply the
fast-growing markets in Eastern Europe and the Middle East until
new capacities are in place.
Bayer MaterialScience expects its newly developed TDI process
technology to cut investment costs by some 20
percent
compared with conventional processes. The process - known as gas phase
phosgenation -
has already been successfully trialed in a company pilot plant
with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons.
"This new technology sets new standards in safety and
contributes to a significant reduction in the use of
solvents," explained Peter Vanacker, head of
the Polyurethanes Business Unit. "Compared with optimized
conventional processes, in operational terms this results in
volume-related energy savings of around 40 percent and a
corresponding reduction in costs and environmental impact. Our
goal is to use this enlarged capacity to provide sustainable
support for our customers' growth. We intend to build on our
leading position in the world market for polyurethanes with
top-quality products, world-scale facilities and optimized cost
structures," added Vanacker.
The TDI plant in Shanghai forms part of Bayer MaterialScience's
long-term investment planning aimed at efficient expansion of its
international production network to cover rising demand. The
company expects consumption of TDI to grow by around 4 percent a
year, driven mainly by continued strong demand for upholstered
furniture, mattresses and car seats.
May 31, 2007 Bayer
Bayer CropScience agrees
to acquire US cotton seed company Stoneville for US-$ 310 million
Acquisition of leading US cotton
business expected to bolster growth strategy
Bayer CropScience
announced today that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Stoneville
Pedigreed Seed Company, a leading US provider of cotton
seeds, from Monsanto Company for a total purchase price of
US-$ 310 million (approximately EUR 230 million). The agreement
was signed on May 31, 2007. This acquisition is expected to
enhance the fast-growing US cotton seed business of Bayer
CropScience, currently the second largest cotton seed supplier in
North America. The acquisition is subject to the approval of the
US competition authorities.
"As part of our long-term strategy for innovation and
growth, we intend to strengthen the position of Bayer CropScience
in the seeds market. The acquisition of the Stoneville activities
in the US is a significant step in further expanding our
successful cotton seed business, which forms part of our core
seed crops along with canola, rice and vegetables"
says Werner
Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG.
In acquiring the US assets of Stoneville, Bayer CropScience will
gain access to additional high performing cotton products with
insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant Monsanto traits. The new
germplasm and the geographic reach of the Stoneville business
East of Texas ideally complement Bayer CropScience's cotton seed
and trait business. The acquisition will also bring in skilled
and knowledgeable staff as well as state-of-the-art breeding and
seed processing facilities in the US.
The business to be acquired by Bayer CropScience represents a
turnover of about US-$ 45 million (approximately EUR 36 million)
as per Stoneville's fiscal year 2005/2006. The acquisition does
not include Stoneville's NexGen™ franchise, a regional cotton seed
business in Texas, and other assets related to the NexGen
business.
Says Prof. Dr. Friedrich Berschauer, Chairman of the Board of
Management of Bayer CropScience: "Through the acquisition of
Stoneville, we can offer an even broader cotton seed portfolio to
US farmers, strengthening our offering of desired traits, high
yield and excellent fiber quality. Through this acquisition we
are also assured of having the critical mass in the cotton seed
business to continue to bring innovative products to the
market."
Led by its flagship
FiberMax® brand, Bayer CropScience has seen
its US cotton seed business growing strongly over the past years.
The purchase of the US Stoneville business is a further
continuation of the company's successful strategy of growing its
presence in the US cotton market via new product development and
organic growth as well as acquisitions. Over the last two years,
Bayer CropScience has acquired the assets of US companies
Associated Farmers Delinting, Inc. (AFD), a regional cotton seed
production and processing company based in Littlefield, Texas,
and California Planting Cotton Seed Distributors (CPCSD), a
developer, producer and distributor of high quality cotton seeds,
enabling access to new regional markets in the US and to
considerable storage and processing capacities. In December 2006,
Bayer CropScience also purchased the cotton assets of Reliance
Genetics LLC of Harlingen, Texas.
Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales
of about EUR 5.7 billion (2006), is one of the world's leading
innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop
protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant
biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of
products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable
agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer
CropScience has a global workforce of about 17,900 and is
represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is
available at: www.newsroom.bayercropscience.com.
Jun
1, 2007 AEST
Bayer
keen on consumer health buys
Bayer AG is keen on
further acquisitions of over-the-counter medicines一般用医薬品
as part of a
strategy to balance "volatility" within its larger
prescription drugs business, its head of healthcare said on
Thursday.
"We continue to
believe that, with discipline, we can find attractive OTC
assets," Arthur Higgins told Reuters on the sidelines of the
annual meeting of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical
Industries and Associations.
Higgins is the new
president of the European industry group.
Germany's Bayer, which
invented Aspirin more than a century ago, boosted its healthcare
business last year with the 17 billion euros ($A27.78 billion)
acquisition of Schering, enabling it to compete more effectively
with industry giants.
Higgins said investors
were now waking up to the potential of the company's pipeline of
specialist medicines for cancer and other serious diseases, which
would boost profitability.
But he aims to balance
this by also growing the more stable
consumer health operation, adding that there were no plans
for rationalising the overall business.
"We've just
completed an analysis and it is not our intention to change our
healthcare portfolio at this point of time," he said.
Last year, Bayer's total
healthcare division accounted for some 40 per cent of group sales
and nearly half of underlying operating profit - and industry
analysts expect healthcare to be an increasingly important driver
as new drugs fuel growth.
Within healthcare,
Higgins said he wanted to see prescription
pharmaceuticals remaining at no more than 60-70 per cent of the
total, which
he acknowledged was likely to require additional scaling up of
consumer products.
He noted Bayer had
already proved itself a leader in consolidating the
non-prescription drugs industry by acquiring Roche
Holding AG's OTC drugs business.
He declined to comment on
specific targets or say whether Bayer might be interested in
Pharmaton, Boehringer Ingelheim's OTC unit, which the private
German drugmaker had planned to sell to a US firm, until that
sale was scrapped in February.
Bayer earlier this year
set a target to boost underlying EBITDA margins in its healthcare
unit to 24 per cent in 2007 from 22.3 per cent in 2006.
The division's sharp
improvement in profits in the first quarter, on the back of
strong sales of drugs like Betaseron for multiple sclerosis and
synergies from the integration of Schering, mean some analysts
think that target will be beaten.
There is widespread
speculation that Bayer could revise up its margin target when it
holds a healthcare investor day on June 18. Higgins would not say
whether this was the case but he noted the healthcare business
had a track record of surprising on the upside.
"We're very pleased
that we have consistently, over the last three years been able to
under-promise, over-deliver - and we want to continue to do
that," he said.
Bayer's imaging business
suffered a setback last week when the US Food and Drug
Administration said contrast agents used to make magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) scans easier to see should carry a new,
strong safety warning.
The warning would alert
doctors that certain patients with kidney and liver conditions
are at risk of a potentially fatal skin disease called
nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.
But Higgins said the
problem, which affects Bayer's Magnevist and other agents, would
not have a material impact.
Jun 1, 2007 Reuters
Bayer in spotlight after
Sabic's GE Plastics buy
Bayer AG Chief Executive
Werner Wenning has always said the company's
plastics business is an important part of the drugs and chemicals
conglomerate.
But for investors, the question is for how long?
The fact that Saudi Basic Industries Corp (Sabic) was willing to
pay $11.6 billion to snatch GE Plastics last week in a crowded
race suggests rising appetite for basic chemicals business,
despite rising competition.
The price tag, which was above market expectations, is fuelling a
market rerating for similar assets at peers such as Bayer, Dow
Chemical Co and BASF AG.
For Bayer, which vies with GE Plastics for the world's top spot
in plastics via its material science unit, the takeover is not an
immediate threat because Sabic is not a player out to drive
prices down for the sake of market share, analysts say.
But it highlights the question of how the plastics business fits
with the rest of the group as Bayer transforms
itself into a healthcare player following its $23 billion
purchase of Schering AG last year.
"The only thing that doesn't fit
from the logic point of view to a life science company is Bayer
Material Science,"
said Boris Schakowski, a fund manager at Union Investment.
"In my point of view ... they should divest it because it
may not fit to Bayer any more in a couple of years. The question
will then be a straight sale or IPO," Schakowski added.
Last year, the material
science unit accounted for 35 percent of group sales, down from
38 percent a year ago, while those from the healthcare unit --
with only a partial contribution from Schering -- rose to 40
percent from 32 percent.
Profit margins at the materials unit also fell.
Analysts at Citigroup forecast the unit's core margin will
decline to 13.4 percent this year and to 11.7 percent next year
from 18.7 percent in 2005.
By contrast, in the healthcare unit UBS analysts anticipate its
profit margin rising to 25 percent in 2008 from 19 percent in
2005.
With GE fetching 1.8 times 2006 sales and 10 times core profit
for its plastics unit, some investors say Bayer should sell the
business while prices are high.
"With a lot of emphasis on healthcare and agrobusiness, the
chemicals unit is somewhat reduced in its strategic
importance," said Sasa Todorovic, a fund manager at
Frankfurt Trust.
Andrew Benson, an analyst at Citigroup, said in a recent note if
Bayer could achieve a similar price as GE Plastics it would value
the asset at between 4 and 8 euros per share above his estimate.
Analysts say Bayer could use the proceeds of a disposal to grow
its pharma business to become a top 10 player in the world and
also possibly to return some funds to investors.
Yet investors also say
Bayer still needs the strong cashflows generated by its plastics
unit to pare down debt, close to 13 billion euros at the end of
March, for the Schering acquisition.
"On a long term (view) this will be the most likely
scenario," Todorovic said.
Analysts have warmed to Bayer's stock as they increasingly view
it as more of a drugs than a chemicals play following the
Schering buy.
The stock -- up 0.8 percent at 53.94 euros by 1050 GMT on Friday
-- has risen some 30 percent this year, outshining a 15 percent
gain in the pan-European DJ Stoxx chemicals sector and a flat DJ
healthcare index.
But its conglomerate status and exposure to the volatile
chemicals business still means the stock trades at a discount to
its peers, despite its strong pipeline of experimental drugs in
late stage trials.
According to UBS, Bayer trades at 8.3 times enterprise value/core
profit and 12.5 times 2008's forecast earnings, a discount of
about 15 to 20 percent to the healthcare and chemicals sectors.
Some said that discount should narrow.
"Investors need to have a fresh view now and think about
basic chemicals in a different way as strategic investors
(private equity firms) are willing to pay more for the
infrastructure," Schakowski said.
June 18, 2007 Bayer
Bayer MaterialScience to
build up a world-scale plant for polymer polyols using a new
technology
Commissioning scheduled in 2008 /
Forward-looking production process
delivers optimized products /
Significantly lower energy costs
In close cooperation with
Bayer Technology Services GmbH, Bayer MaterialScience AG has
developed an innovative technology for the manufacture of polymer-filled
polyether polyols
that delivers significantly better products than the conventional
process. The innovative technology has already been successfully
tested on a multi-ton scale in a technical service laboratory.
The new process is to be used on a world scale for the first time
in a PMPO（polymer polyol ） production facility with an annual
capacity of 60,000 tons. It is due to be commissioned at
the end of 2008 and shall be constructed either in
Dormagen, Germany, or in Antwerp, Belgium. At both sites, Bayer
MaterialScience already manufactures polyether polyols, one of
the basic components required to produce polymer polyols. Hence,
consistent use can be made of synergies, thereby further
increasing the facility's efficiency. A final decision about the
location has not yet been made.
This new production process keeps the amounts of
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the end product at very low
levels that
were impossible to achieve with the technologies used to date.
The much lower operating temperature at the processing stage of
the continuous operation means that the PMPOs are only very
slightly discolored. In addition to the improved product
properties, Bayer MaterialScience expects a 25 percent
reduction of investment costs for construction work and a decrease in
energy consumption
when operating production facilities by a similar percentage
rate.
PMPOs are utilized throughout the world, primarily for the
production of flexible polyurethane foam, which is used in large
quantities in upholstered furniture, mattresses, and car seats.
The reduced VOC content of the PMPOs is particularly important
for applications in vehicle interiors. One reason for this is
what is known as the fogging effect. This causes the deposition
of thin but highly refractive films on the inside of car windows
due to the heat-related migration of volatile substances from the
materials used.
According to Peter Vanacker, Head of the Polyurethanes Business
Unit and member of the Executive Committee at Bayer
MaterialScience, "The new technology represents a quantum
leap in the development of state-of-the-art production processes
with even greater efficiency. It allows innovative energy
management and sets new standards for efficient and
resource-saving production processes. This enables us to offer
our customers top-quality products with lower VOC contents and
further consolidate our leading role in the world market for
polyurethanes with optimized cost structures."
2007/7/3 designnews.com
Bayer May Further Delay
Chinese Polycarbonate Project
Shortage
of components and labor in busy Shanghai add to the woes
Bayer MaterialScience may
further postpone its proposed polycarbonate expansion in China due to continued
problems in market conditions. That comment was made by Ian
Paterson, member of the plastics producer's Executive Committee
at a press conference in New York City on June 27.
The first stage of the
new production plant near Shanghai came on line a year ago,
adding 100,000 metric tons of capacity. The initial plan was to add another
100,000 metric tons by the end of this year. The project was first pushed
back because of a shortage of components in China due to booming construction.
"We may delay startup longer," announced Paterson at the press
conference. He said that PC demand is growing at about a 10
percent rate per year globally, but there are fears
that the China market could become flooded.
There are also concerns
that use of polycarbonate in compact discs could slow because of
music downloading from the Internet. Another cloud hanging over
the PC market has been surging prices for feedstocks. This comes
despite some easing of hydrocarbon pricing. Crude oil futures
have been trading about $7 below a year ago. "There has been
a decoupling of oil and derivatives because there isn't enough
capacity for the derivatives," Paterson said.
Petrochemical producers
in Asia are particularly dependent on naphtha, a light distillate that has been trading at record
levels recently in Asia ? yet another reason to slow expansion in
China.
Paterson said that Bayer
is aggressively attacking other costs to maintain profitability,
and is also having some success passing on price increases. On
June 14, Bayer hiked PC prices 14¢/lb. Flame-retarded PC was selling
for around $2/lb before the price hike.
Another consideration for
Bayer is the potential market impact of
SABIC's acquisition of GE Plastics, which is expected to be
completed later this year. GE Plastics is also a major producer
of polycarbonate.
August 27, 2007 Bayer
Bayer MaterialScience is
to transfer EXATEC shares to GE Plastics
Bayer MaterialScience is
to transfer
its shares in EXATEC to GE Plastics. This transaction will be
completed subject to the approval of the relevant antitrust
authorities. No statement will be made concerning the financial
aspects.
With this decision, Bayer MaterialScience has opted to carry out
its own independent development of polycarbonate
automotive glazing,
a market that is set to enjoy future growth. EXATEC was founded
in 1998 as a 50:50 joint venture between Bayer and GE with the aim of developing
technologies to produce automotive glazing systems from
polycarbonate. The collaboration was instrumental in introducing
polycarbonate to the market of automotive glazing. With immediate
effect, Bayer MaterialScience will provide all customers with
ongoing development of technologies for polycarbonate glazing and
the tailor-made plastic Makrolon®.
Dr. Günter Hilken, head of the
Polycarbonates Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience, said:
"In the next few years, Bayer MaterialScience anticipates
fast growth in the potential applications for polycarbonate,
particularly in the market for large panorama roofs. Several manufacturers are already
confident of the advantages of our high-tech Makrolon®, for example Mercedes®, who are using it in the roof
module of the GL-Class, and smart®, who are deploying it in the
panorama roof of the new fortwo®." Hilken added that, in the
medium and long term, the freedom of design offered by the
material, its weight saving and the opportunities it provides for
integration mean it can also be used for rear windows, and open
up further areas of application within the automotive industry.
automotive
glazing 窓ガラス代替分野
EXATEC is a glazing
system technology developer. EXATEC licenses its technology
to tier 1 polycarbonate glazing system suppliers. Technology
available from both of EXATEC's parents, Bayer
MaterialScience and GE Plastics, as well as its own
developments put EXATEC in the leading position for
polycarbonate glazing systems. EXATEC's comprehensive glazing
systems - EXATEC® 900.
EXATEC's R&D
covers the entire value chain and every technical and
manufacturing aspect from the specific resins of Lexan and
Makrolon, selected because of their unique suitability for
glazing, design, injection molding technology (1K, 2K, IMD
etc), UV and abrasion resistance, development of testing and
validation methods. QA systems, 2D and 3D printing
technologies suitable for PC glazing systems as well as
innovative bonding methods form the basis of the EXATEC
know-how and can be demonstrated at the Development Center in
Wixom.
The technology solutions, in particular EXATEC®
900 and EXATEC®
900vt address a
growing demand in the automotive industry for innovative
glazing, e.g. panoramic roof systems or new solutions for
backlites and liftgates.
エグザテック社のEXATEC(R) 900コーティング・システムには、自動車向けグレージング技術に最適な液状コーティング剤を採用している。この先進の液状コーティング剤を使用することにより、プラズマコーティングされた最終保護層（PECVD）への接着性が向上し、競合する素材よりも高い加工性を実現し、生産性の向上とコスト低減を提供する。
エグザテック社のグレージング・システムは、世界中のOEMメーカーが要求している10年間の耐候性と耐摩耗性を満たすコーティングを特徴としている。EXATEC 900コーティング・システムにおける溶剤を使用しない水ベースの下塗りは、成形の応力の影響を受けにくいため、微少なひびや層間剥離が起こる可能性を最小限に抑えることができる。また、プラズマ・コーティングは、ガラスと同様の表面エネルギーを発生させるため、自動車製造業界で最終的に車体にガラスを取り付けるときに使用する標準的な接着剤との最適な相溶性をも可能としている。
August, 2007 GE
Exatec Confirms GE
Plastics' Acquisition of Bayer MaterialScience's Share of
Exatec Joint Venture
Exatec, LLC announces
that GE Plastics has agreed to acquire Bayer
MaterialScience's share of the Exatec joint venture, which
provides advanced glazing systems to the automotive industry.
Under the terms of
the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, GE
Plastics will acquire Bayer's 50-percent share of the joint
venture, thereby increasing its equity interest in Exatec to
100 percent. Transaction details were not disclosed.
"GE and Bayer
were the first to enable the use of polycarbonate glazing
technology in vehicles. Exatec has advanced the development
of glazing with its patented coating system through
aggressive testing against rigorous performance criteria.
With the demand
for lightweight, environmentally responsible vehicles
projected to grow globally over the next few years, the time
is right to restructure the joint venture and take it to the
next level of commercial development,"
said John
Madej, President and CEO, Exatec, LLC.
Exatec was
founded in 1998 as a joint venture between Bayer
MaterialScience of Leverkusen, Germany, and GE Plastics, part
of General Electric Company, Pittsfield, Mass., USA. Exatec
is a global company with a technical development center in
Wixom, near Detroit, MI and a European subsidiary based in
Bergisch Gladbach near Cologne, Germany. The company has
successfully developed new technologies and met numerous
milestones related to regulation and testing over the past
eight years. The company plans to fully
commercialize and industrialize its technologies for a broad
range of automotive OEMs and tiers.
Madej added,
"This is a great transition for Exatec. We started out
with the support and development expertise of the two premier
polycarbonate manufacturers, and now we are excited to move
forward with the industrialization of our business as a
wholly-owned entity. This is the right move at the right time
and is a win-win for our current and future customers and our
supplier partners."
Exatec's
automotive glazing system covers all processes and
manufacturing steps, including molding with added
functionality, 3D printing, decoration technologies, and
plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) hardcoats.
The wholly owned
Exatec will continue to serve its customers across the globe
in developing advanced glazing technology applications.
Bayer MaterialScience
will proactively develop and expand its automotive glazing
business independent of the JV.
About Exatec, LLC.
Exatec (www.exatec.biz) was founded in 1998 as 50:50
Joint Venture of Bayer MaterialScience and GE Plastics with
the mandate to develop polycarbonate glazing systems for the
automotive market. Headquartered at its state-of-the-art
Technology Development Center in Wixom, Michigan, Exatec has
developed patented polycarbonate coating systems, which ensure market leading
weatherability and glass like abrasion performance. Exatec
operates an engineering design and development office in
Bergisch Gladbach, outside Cologne, Germany, to support the
European automotive market. Exatec's most recent glazing
system, Exatec® 900, was launched in 2004 and
is currently being evaluated on vehicles by OEM's across
August 28, 2007 Bayer
Expansion of the global
compounding network:
New logistics center for Makrolon® and polycarbonate blends in
Krefeld-Uerdingen
Higher product quality and supply flexibility
Bayer MaterialScience AG
- producer of the world's no.1 polycarbonate Makrolon®- is investing comprehensively in
expansion of the global compounding network to offer customers a
better service with optimized logistics processes. The
Krefeld-Uerdingen site is a focus for investment, where a new
logistics center is being constructed for storing, mixing and
packing Makrolon® and the polycarbonate blends
Bayblend® and Makroblend®. "The new silo installation
for direct filling is a technological milestone. It enables
particularly gentle mixing, dust removal and packing of granules,
coupled with extremely high material throughput, which benefits
both product quality and supply flexibility," explained Dr.
Christoph Schwemler, head of the Makrolon®
compounding section
in Krefeld-Uerdingen. The initial expansion phase is scheduled to
kick off at the end of 2008. The silo has an annual capacity of
130,000 metric tons, which can be extended to 180,000 metric
tons. Investment in Krefeld-Uerdingen amounts to around EUR 20
million.
The new logistics facilities are being built in the immediate
vicinity of the Makrolon® compounding plant. Each production
line is assigned to a filling unit, with granules being
transported to blending silos using processes that minimize dust
buildup in the granules. Mobile filling stations are used for
packing 25 kg bags and bulk containers. "We can therefore
respond quickly and flexibly to orders and supply our customers
reliably even in peak periods," says Schwemler. The filling
procedure is particularly gentle on the product as it works
through the use of gravity.
Bayer MaterialScience will also build a compounding
facility in southern China for Makrolon®
and its blends and
this will begin production in the first half of 2008. In
addition, construction of a compounding center is planned at the new site in New
Delhi (India)
for the end of 2008. A color competence center will be linked up
to both plants, as is the case with the existing compounding
facilities in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Filago (Italy), Newark (Ohio,
U.S.), Shanghai (China) and Map Ta Phut (Thailand).
September 5, 2007 Bayer
New production facility opened in Laufenburg
Carbon nanotube capacity expanded
Investment
boosts widespread industrial use of Baytubes(R) / Further
capacity increases planned in the medium term
Bayer MaterialScience AG
is opening a second production facility for Baytubes（R）, its carbon nanotubes, at H.C. Starck
GmbH in the
town of Laufenburg on the German-Swiss border. The new facility
has an annual capacity of 30 metric tons. Together with the pilot
production plant for Baytubes already located at the site, this
now gives Bayer MaterialScience a total annual capacity of 60 metric tons in Laufenburg. Dr. Tony Van
Osselaer, the member of the Board of Management of Bayer
MaterialScience responsible for Production & Technology, told
customers from all over the world who attended the opening
ceremony: “This makes us one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon
nanotubes and underlines our excellent credentials as a
research-oriented company. Carbon nanotubes’
potential for
innovation will ensure their long-term market success.”
H.C. Starck is a
former subsidiary company sold to Advent International and
Carlyle Group to fund the Schering acquisition last year
Estimates put the market
potential for carbon nanotubes (CNT) in the coming years at
several thousand metric tons per year. The main disadvantages of
CNT production processes to date have been the high costs of
synthesis and the relatively large quantities of unwanted
impurities in the product. These two problems have prevented the
widespread industrial use of carbon nanotubes. Thanks to a
special new synthesis process, Bayer MaterialScience is one of
the few manufacturers able to offer commercially relevant
quantities of CNT with consistent material purities well above
the 95 percent mark. “The investment in Laufenburg
represents an important step towards gaining access to large,
lucrative industrial CNT applications and securing long-term
market share,” said Martin Schmid, head of global
BaytubesR operations at Bayer MaterialScience.
The Laufenburg location has a number of advantages for Baytubes
production. Firstly, as a world leader in the production of
refractory metals, engineering ceramics and electronic chemicals,
H.C. Starck has the necessary technical and logistics setup - for
example, in terms of production facilities, energy and gas
supplies and waste gas purification. Secondly, Bayer
MaterialScience benefits from H.C. Starck’s many years of expertise in
processing technology and systems design for high-temperature gas
phase processes. “In H.C. Starck - a specialist in
customized particle design - Bayer MaterialScience has the ideal
partner for the successful manufacture and further development of
Baytubes. Our success in up-scaling this sophisticated production
process offers impressive proof of this,”
said Dr. Heinz
Heumuller, Managing Director of H.C. Starck.
The new, highly automated closed-loop facility is used for
production and for development work to optimize processes and
procedures. “Our aim is to use the knowledge
obtained for the next up-scaling of the production process,”
explained Dr. Ralph
Weber, Production Manager for Carbon Nanotubes, who shares
responsibility for the operation and further development of the
facility in Laufenburg with Dr. Theo Konig from H.C. Starck. In
the medium term, Bayer MaterialScience is planning to build a
large-scale Baytubes production facility in Germany with an
annual capacity of 3,000 metric tons.
CNT have unusual properties. Depending on their molecular
structure, they can either conduct electricity better than copper
or act like a semiconductor. Their thermal conductivity rivals
that of diamond, the best naturally occurring conductor of heat,
and their high modulus of elasticity and tensile strength gives
them five times the mechanical strength of steel.
Bayer MaterialScience helps numerous companies develop
applications for Baytubes. The aim is to build up a broad CNT
application spectrum. For example, Baytubes have tried-and-tested
antistatic properties in machine components made from polyether
etherketone (PEEK). The manufacture of antistatic packaging films
for computer chips and plastic containers for the protected
transport of integrated circuits also provides great potential.
In automotive engineering, BaytubesR could be added to plastics
used for bodywork components. These components - for example
fenders made from a polyphenylene oxide/polyamide blend - would
then not have to be given a conductive primer, thus resulting in
significant cost savings. A number of sports goods manufacturers
already use Baytubes to improve the strength and stiffness of
plastics. Applications in this field include surfboards, baseball
bats, and sticks for cross-country skiing and Nordic walking.
About H.C. Starck:
The international H.C. Starck Group has over 3,400 employees at
13 sites worldwide. In 2006, the Group generated sales of EUR 985
million.
H.C. Starck produces a globally unique range of powders from the
refractory metals tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, niobium and
rhenium and their compounds (borides, carbides, nitrides, oxides,
silicides and sulphides). Other products include ceramic powders,
sintered metal powders, thermal spray powders, non-ferrous metals
such as nickel and cobalt and their salts, plus boron and boron
compounds. Besides metallic powders, the company also produces
semi-finished and finished products made from molybdenum,
tungsten, tantalum, niobium, titanium, zircon and nickel and
their alloys. In addition, H.C. Starck makes specially formulated
electrically conductive polymers and silica sols for the
electronics industry. In the field of engineering ceramics, H.C.
Starck boasts a wide range of ceramic precursors. The subsidiary
H.C. Starck Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG manufactures customized
machine and engine components and foundry products made from
silicium carbide, silicium nitride, aluminum titanate, and
zirconium and aluminum oxide. The H.C. Starck portfolio also
includes powders and components for use in high-temperature solid
oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).
Jakarta Post September
07, 2007
Bayer makes
Indonesia Asia-Pacific production base
PT Bayer
Indonesia, a manufacturer of pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter
(OTC) products, will make Indonesia its production base for
consumer-care products in Asia-Pacific following the expansion of
the company's recently acquired plant.
Bayer Indonesia
president director Hans-Josef Schill said Thursday that the
expansion of the plant would allow the company to raise its
production capacity to 2,000 tons of over-the-counter
drugs per year from 700 tons previously.
With the
expansion of its plant in Cimanggis, West Java, which the company acquired
from the Indonesian unit of Swiss major pharmaceutical company
Roche,
Bayer will be able to meet the demand not only from the domestic
market, but also from the Asia and Pacific region.
"The
expansion will allow the company to gradually increase its
production capacity to up to 2,000 tons by 2012 for the domestic
and regional markets," Schill told reporters following the
inauguration of the expanded plant.
He said that the
expansion, which took about 17 months to complete, had cost the
company about 18 million euros (US$24.58 million), of which about
8 million euros were spent on high-technology facilities and
state-of-the-art machinery.
"The
Cimanggis plant produces leading consumer brands, including
Redoxon and Berocca, for the local market and some countries in
the region, including Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong
and Australia. Part of the production will also exported to
France," Schill said.
Head of Consumer
Care David Marwoto Budi said that the company was confident the
expansion would allow Bayer Indonesia to raise exports 7.5-fold
in 2010, from between Rp 20 billion and Rp 25 billion recorded in
2005.
"Local
demand for Bayer's OTC products is good. We sell 90 percent of
production domestically. This makes Indonesia the third largest
market for Bayer's OTC products in Asia Pacific, after Australia
and China," David said.
Schill said that
Indonesia was the 15th largest OTC market worldwide, notching up
double-digit growth rates every year.
David predicted
that the OTC market would grow by nine percent this year, with
Bayer's total sales of OTC products expected to grow by between
12 and 15 percent.
Bayer Indonesia
operates five factories (including the Cimanggis plant),
producing both pharmaceutical and chemical products, and employs
about 1,200 workers.
September 12, 2007 Bayer
Bayer MaterialScience
examines feasibility of 400,000-ton MDI plant in Europe
Total worldwide capacity would
increase to 1,850,000 tons a year / Commissioning could take
place in 2012
Bayer MaterialScience is considering building a world-scale
production facility for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate
(MDI) in Europe.
The plant would have an annual capacity of 400,000 tons and could be commissioned in
2012. A feasibility study would focus particularly on factors
such as costs and infrastructure for a number of possible
locations. A decision on the construction of the facility is due
to be made next year. If the project were realized, the total
worldwide MDI capacity of Bayer MaterialScience would increase to
1,850,000 tons a year.
The new production plant at the integrated Shanghai site,
with an annual capacity of 350,000 tons, is included in this amount. This
plant is scheduled to be taken into operation next year. “With a new world-scale plant for
MDI in Europe we would like to expand our leading position in the
polyurethane industry”, explained Patrick Thomas,
Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer MaterialScience.
2006/12/20 Bayer、MDI 能力 約110万トンに +上海35+今回40＝185万トン
“This
strategy is intended to create the basis for meeting the rising demand for
MDI in eastern and western Europe and in the Middle East in the
medium to long term. The
new plant would be an important addition to our worldwide
production network, further improving the supply to our
customers,” said Peter Vanacker, head of the
Polyurethanes Business Unit and member of the Executive Committee
of Bayer MaterialScience. The demand for MDI in Europe is
currently estimated to be growing at about six percent a
year. Just
last year, the company increased its production capacities at
Krefeld-Uerdingen and Tarragona to 200,000 and 150,000 tons a
year, respectively. Further debottlenecking measures in existing
production facilities in Europe are scheduled to be implemented
before the new world-scale plant is completed.
It is intended that the new world-scale facility should
incorporate, for the first time, a new, highly energy-efficient
technology for the final stage in the reaction, that of
phosgenation. Thanks to this process innovation the energy
consumption of the plant can be decreased considerably by
reducing the solvent cycles. Consequently, the emissions per unit
of manufacturing will also be significantly reduced. Furthermore,
the specific investment costs are expected to be clearly lower
than for a conventional plant of the same size.
The new facility is intended to form part of a complete, newly
designed MDI train that will also include production plants for
the precursors nitrobenzene, aniline and diphenylmethane diamine
(MDA). The train would be the largest and most modern integrated
MDI production facility in Europe.
MDI is an important chemical building block in the production of
polyurethane foams and elastomers. Rigid insulating foams are
used, for example, in the production of refrigerators and
freezers, as thermal insulation in the construction industry and
in district heating pipelines. MDI elastomers are used in the
footwear, automotive, and electrical industries.
September 26, 2007 Bayer
Bayer MaterialScience to
build a world-scale plant for polymer polyols in Antwerp
Total investment of around EUR 40
million /
Commissioning scheduled for late
2008 /
Efficient production process
delivers optimized products
Bayer MaterialScience is
planning to build a world-scale plant for the manufacture of polymer-filled
polyether polyols (PMPO ポリマーポリオール) at the Antwerp site in Belgium.
The plant, representing a total investment of EUR 40 million,
will have an annual capacity of 60,000 tons and is scheduled for
commissioning in late 2008. Bayer MaterialScience already
manufactures polyether polyols, one of the starting materials
for polymer polyols, at the Antwerp site. The decision to build
the new plant in Antwerp enables leverage of available synergies
and will further increase the efficiency of PMPO production.
The planned facility will utilize a new process developed by
Bayer MaterialScience in close cooperation with Bayer Technology
Services GmbH. This innovative and patented PMPO technology
delivers products that are considerably superior to those
manufactured using conventional processes and has already been
successfully tested on a multi-ton scale.
The end products yielded by the new process contain very low
levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were impossible
to achieve with the technologies used to date. In addition to
improved product properties, Bayer MaterialScience expects a
reduction of 25 percent in plant construction costs and in the
energy consumption of the completed facility once operational.
According to Peter Vanacker, Head of the Polyurethanes Business
Unit and a member of the Bayer MaterialScience Executive
Committee: "The new technology represents a significant
advance in the development of state-of-the-art production
processes with even greater efficiency. It allows innovative
energy management and sets new standards for efficient and
resource-saving production processes. This enables us to offer
our customers top-quality products with lower VOC contents and
further consolidate our leading role in the world market for
polyurethanes with optimized cost structures."
PMPOs are utilized throughout the world, primarily for the production
of flexible polyurethane foam, which is used in large quantities
in upholstered furniture, mattresses and car seats.
2007/10/11 CNN
Bayer sites searched by German Cartel Office in competition probe
バイエル・ヴァイタル社
The German Federal
Cartel Office said it searched Bayer AG offices at two sites of
the drugmaker's Bayer Vital unit on suspicion the company tried
to illegally influence pharmacies' pricing of over-the-counter
drugs.
The sites were at the drugmaker's headquarters in Leverkusen and
in the city of Cologne, the Cartel Office said in a statement.
German magazine Stern yesterday reported that Bayer had offered
sales discounts of up to 3 pct to pharmacies, provided they limit
special offers on Aspirin and other prescription-free drugs to
within 20 pct, and to no longer than four weeks. Stern cited from
an e-mail by a Bayer executive to sales representatives.
The antitrust regulator today said it was contacted by Bayer
after publication of the article and given assurance of the
company's cooperation.
Among documents that investigators are trying to obtain are the
e-mail mentioned in the article and sales contracts with
pharmacies, a Cartel Office spokeswoman said.
Bayer yesterday said it did not have any price agreements with
pharmacies apart from non-binding arrangements.
Bayer is under suspicion of having granted discounts to
pharmacies in exchange for promises not to take 'big and
long-term price cuts' on over-the-counter medication, the Cartel
Office said. Such practices are illegal under German and European
competition laws, it added.
A European Commission spokesman, meanwhile, said that 'to the
best of' his knowledge, the commission is not involved in the
probe.
2007/10/11 dw-world.de
Bayer Suffers From Price Fixing Headache
German antitrust authorities have searched pharmaceutical company
Bayer's offices in connection with allegations it fixed prices
with over 11,000 German pharmacies.
Officials from the German Federal Cartel Office searched sites
belonging to Bayer Vital, the chemical group's
medicine distribution division, in the western German cities of
Leverkusen and Cologne, the office said.
The raid was the result of "suspicion that Bayer had
influenced the retail price of its products in pharmacies in an
uncompetitive manner," the office said in a statement,
adding the goal of the raids was to "secure relevant
documents."
A Bayer spokesman said the company has fully cooperated with the
investigation.
"We provided full cooperation to office staff who came to
clear up" allegations the group had already rejected, the
spokesman told the AFP news agency on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
"We obviously have recommended prices that are not binding,
but in no case do we have price agreements that violate the
law."
Discounts for high prices
Bayer wanted to position itself as a premium drug maker, the
e-mail reportedly said
According to a report in the magazine Stern, Bayer was suspected
of providing rebates of up to 3 percent to 11,000 German
pharmacists who maintained elevated prices for aspirin and other
products.
European and German laws prohibit such practices, which can be
punished with fines of up to 2.9 billion euros ($4.1 billion),
Silke Kaul, a spokeswoman for the antitrust agency, told the
Associated Press.
The weekly Stern newsmagazine quoted an e-mail from a Bayer-Vital
manager dated Dec.30, 2006 that allegedly reminded a salesman
that rebates would be approved "only if the rules of the
game are respected."
The "rules" are reported to have been sales on medicine
that lasted longer than four weeks or discounted certain Bayer
products by more than 20 percent off the recommended retail
price.
Cartel history
Germany lifted uniform pricing for non-prescription medicines in
2004, and Bayer has been the target of price-fixing probes in the
past.
In the pharmaceutical sector, the German group was found guilty
in 2005 by Portuguese authorities of fixing prices on medication
supplied to 22 hospitals.
Nov 2, 2007 Reuters
Bayer may announce plastics restructuring - analysts
Germany's Bayer may unveil an overhaul to improve profitability
at its plastics business when the German drugs and chemicals
group reports its quarterly results next week, analysts said.
"We expect Bayer to announce a restructuring programme for
Bayer MaterialScience," Andreas Theisen, an analyst at
WestLB, said in a research note.
Bayer vies with Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), which bought
GE Plastics for $11.6 billion, for the world's top spot in
plastics via its material science unit.
Unlike SABIC and local rival BASF, which produces oil and gas to
offset margin pressures at certain parts of their businesses,
Bayer's polycarbonate business is expected to suffer from
prolonged high oil prices.
Tero Weckroth, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort, also expected a
possible restructuring at the unit that had 2006 sales of about
10 billion euros, accounting for about a third of group sales and
underlying core profit.
Bayer declined to comment.
Underlying core margins at the materials unit had fallen to 15.6
percent in the second quarter from 17.7 percent a year ago as
important feedstocks such as phenol to produce synthetic fibres
climbed to record highs.
At the same time, Bayer products faced tough competition.
Bayer MaterialScience said last month it will raise the sales
prices for its polycarbonates worldwide due to "constantly
high costs for raw materials and energy". Bayer is set to
announce its quarterly performance on Tuesday at its headquarters
in Leverkusen.
Overall, Bayer's third-quarter operating profit before special
items is expected to rise 18 percent to 911 million euros ($1.3
billion), driven by strong sales of its cancer and contraceptive
drugs and farming products like weed killers.
Dresdner's Weckroth expected the healthcare unit to post strong
margins, while the CropScience unit that sells herbicides and
fungicides would return to growth after a few weak quarters.
"Messy but positive," he said of the likely Bayer
results.
The company that invented Aspirin had said last month that it
will take a 152 million-euro impairment charge in the third
quarter after its higher dose multiple-sclerosis drug Betaseron
failed to show it could work better than the standard dose
Betaferon and rival Teva's Copaxone.
"Despite these headwinds, we advise buying into the
share," said Weckroth, who had a price target of 67 euros
for Bayer.
Bayer shares were up 0.9 percent at 56.27 euros at 1427 GMT,
compared with a 0.7 percent fall in the German DAX index (.GDAXI:
Quote, Profile, Research).
Bayer shares have risen almost 40 percent this year partly
because of its strong drug pipeline and also on recovery in its
agrochemicals business. It is the fifth-best performing stock in
the blue-chip index so far this year.
2007/11/19 Bayer
Bayer launches Group-wide
climate program
Integrated
measures for increasing climate protection and dealing with
climate change
- CEO Wenning: "We are not resting on our
laurels with the successes we have achieved so far. We
want to set new standards."
- Innovative Bayer solutions for buildings,
crop-growing, biofuels and production
- Ambitious new emission targets
- EUR 1 billion for climate protection in the next
three years
- Establishment of the "Bayer Climate Award“
and student scholarships
Bayer has launched an
integrated, Group-wide "Bayer Climate Program", with
which it wants to further reduce CO2
emissions from its production facilities and develop new
solutions for increasing climate protection and dealing with
climate change. It encompasses different measures that have been
initiated by the Group Management Board and should cover a period
of several years. In the new climate protection program, which is
based on the newly formulated "Bayer Policy on Climate
Change", Bayer will bundle its specific expertise as an
inventor company. It has, in fact, already begun working on the
first lighthouse projects: a global concept for zero-emission
buildings for offices and other industrial buildings known as the
“EcoCommercial
Building”, the development of
stress-tolerant plants and systems to encourage the effective use
of crops for biofuels, and the "Bayer Climate Check"
for optimizing production processes. Bayer will invest EUR 1
billion in climate-related research and development and other
projects in the next three years.
"We are well aware
that we are an emitter of greenhouse gases," said Chairman
of the Board of Management of Bayer AG, Werner Wenning, during
the presentation of the new climate program at an international
press conference in front of more than 100 journalists in
Leverkusen. "That was why in the past we focused our
attention on lowering CO2
emissions". Between 1990 and 2006 the company considerably
reduced its absolute global greenhouse gas emissions ? by 36
percent in fact. In addition, specific emissions per product unit
had also been lowered as a result of consistent improvements in
energy efficiency.
Wenning added: "We want to continue growing, not least
because we manufacture innovative products for efficient climate
protection and for dealing with climate change.”
Bayer products, he
said, were making a direct contribution in many different ways to
saving energy and conserving resources in our everyday life. For
example, polyurethane insulating materials in buildings and
refrigerators help save an enormous amount of energy.
For these achievements, independent institutions like the Carbon
Disclosure Project have on several occasions awarded Bayer the
distinction "Best in Class". Only recently, the company
was included for the third time in a row in the Climate
Disclosure Leadership Index ? the world's first climate
protection index. It is the only European company in the chemical
industry to receive this honor.
Bayer supports the development of effective policies for climate
protection at global level, and has been very much involved in
initiatives such as 3C: Combat Climate Change. For this reason,
Wenning appealed to politicians to include major greenhouse gas
emitters like the United States, China and India in a new
international climate agreement. "We need a turnaround with
CO2 emissions. The
global problem can only be addressed through joint action
worldwide, at least by all the major parties responsible for
emissions," said Wenning. ?Europe and particularly Germany
cannot stop the climate change by adopting an isolated pioneering
role. In addition, this could seriously endanger industry's
competitiveness”.
"We at Bayer take climate change very seriously and regard
it as an ecological and economic challenge," continued
Wenning. In its Mission Statement, "Bayer: Science For A
Better Life", the company acknowledges and accepts its role
as a socially and ethically responsible corporate citizen.
"We are not resting on our laurels with the successes we
have achieved so far. We want to set new standards".
For the period between 2005 and 2020, Bayer has set new and
ambitious emission targets, particularly in view of the
achievements it has already made in cutting greenhouse gas
emissions.
The Bayer MaterialScience subgroup wants to reduce its specific
greenhouse gas emissions per ton of sales product by 25 percent
globally. Bayer CropScience is targeting a reduction of 15
percent in its absolute global emissions, and Bayer HealthCare of
5 percent. "These targets are demanding because we want to
bring climate protection and economic growth into harmony through
greater energy efficiency," explained Wenning.
"The Bayer Climate Program thus fully exploits the potential
we have identified for protecting the climate, and implements a
variety of individual measures in an integrated Group-wide
approach," said Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, the Member of the
Bayer Board of Management responsible for Innovation, Technology
and Environment. "We will work consistently on implementing
this program over the next few years."
Making
production processes more climate-friendly
Bayer has also developed a new control instrument for increasing
energy efficiency and reducing CO2
emissions from its production plants called the Bayer Climate
Check. The innovative aspect of it is that it also includes the
upstream stages of production in the assessment, namely raw
materials, energy and logistics. The Bayer Climate Check thus
provides decision-makers for the first time with a further
ecological criterion for designing production processes in
addition to the conventional profitability calculation.
The Bayer Group will use the Climate Check around the world to
examine the "climate footprint" of its production
processes, in other words, the effect on the climate of its
production plants. In the first step, 100 production facilities
throughout the world will be scrutinized, covering some 85
percent of greenhouse gas emissions. After this, action will be
taken to introduce the improvements identified in the check in
order to reduce greenhouse gases and enhance energy efficiency.
Furthermore, Bayer will use the Climate Check to extend its
present ecological assessment of major new investment projects by
also considering the climate protection angle.
The Bayer Climate Check will be certified at the beginning of
2008 by the technical inspection agency TÜV. So that other companies can
also benefit from this innovative tool for reducing CO2
emissions, Bayer will also offer it on the open market.
The
EcoCommercial Building: A global concept for zero-emission
buildings
Energy consumption in buildings is responsible for nearly 20
percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Bayer has launched an
initiative devoted to what has until now been a rather neglected
segment, namely commercial buildings. Working together with a
number of partners, the company has developed the
"EcoCommercial Building", a globally adaptable concept
for zero-emission buildings. Based on insulation with
high-quality Bayer products and the building's own resources for
generating renewable energy, the EcoCommercial Building can meet
its entire energy needs itself.
Bayer will launch the project with a building of its own. In
spring 2008, it will begin the construction of a new company
office building near New Delhi, India, thereby realizing the
EcoCommercial Building concept for the first time. Through the
integration of other aspects such as the glazing of the facades
and special ventilation systems, the building will be adapted to
the climatic conditions of the subtropics with their extreme heat
and humidity. The result is that this zero-emission building will
consume 70 percent less electricity than the average building in
India.
The concept of the EcoCommercial Building can be adapted to the
Earth's various climate zones. Whether it is a matter of keeping
heat out, as in India, or keeping heat in, as in the northern
hemisphere, the polyurethane insulating materials display an
exceedingly positive energy balance. In fact, they save more than
70 times as much energy as is needed for their production.
Secure
harvests, and crops as energy suppliers
Climate change is also a multiple challenge for agriculture. The
global population continues to grow and, with it, the need to
feed the world's people and animals. As things stand at the
moment, the area under cultivation cannot be increased. In fact,
the amount of agricultural land is declining due to erosion and
desertification. In addition, heat, drought or salty soil can
reduce the attainable optimal yield of crops by up to 80 percent.
The consequences of climate change threaten to further exacerbate
these cultivation conditions. This means that, under more
difficult conditions, agricultural productivity must be raised.
In short, the yield per hectare under cultivation must be
improved significantly.
In addition, the shortage of fossil fuels and the damage they
cause to the world climate are leading to plants becoming more
important as renewable energy raw materials for biofuels. As a
result, there is also growing competition for acreages between
energy crops and food crops.
Against this background, safeguarding harvests and raising yields
is of major importance. This is where Bayer comes in. The company
wants to make use of the possibilities offered by biotechnology
to make plants more resistant to climatic conditions such as drought and heat. The
intention is to enhance their so-called "stress
tolerance". Initial field trials with canola have already
shown a significant increase in yields. Furthermore, Bayer can
also offer solutions in conventional crop protection for making
plants more resistant to stress and thereby safeguarding
harvests.
One possibility for eliminating the competition for land under
cultivation is provided by the jatropha plant. It can be cultivated in dry
regions that are not suitable for growing food crops. In
addition, it is unsuitable for producing food anyway. The
jatropha seed consists of 30 percent oil, which can be used for
the production of biodiesel. Bayer intends to pursue this
approach in a research project with cooperation partners.
The company is already making an important contribution to
providing crops as raw materials for biofuels with its seeds for
high-yield canola. InVigor®, a high-yield canola variety
developed by Bayer researchers and grown in Canada, makes it
possible, by improving harvests, to achieve a 20 percent higher
yield of biodiesel than with comparable seeds. The company is
also currently examining options with bioethanol.
New
policy for vehicle fleets and reduction in business air travel
Bayer will also involve its employees around the world in its
integrated program. Initially in Germany and then gradually in
other countries, incentive systems will be introduced for using
low-emission vehicles and gas-fueled company cars. From 2007 to
2012, the Group wants to cut the emissions caused by company
vehicles by 20 percent. In addition, the greater use of new
telecommunications technologies is aimed at reducing business air
travel.
Encouragement
for outstanding climate scientists and dedicated school students
In addition, Bayer intends to introduce two initiatives to
encourage scientific innovations in the field of climate
protection and to motivate young people to become interested in
this subject. Firstly, the recently established Bayer Science and
Education Foundation will bestow, every two years, the Bayer
Climate Award with a prize of EUR 50,000 on representatives of
the natural sciences and technical disciplines who develop
groundbreaking solutions for climate protection. The award will
be granted for the first time in 2008. The candidates will be
nominated by a renowned group of experts.
The Foundation will also enable dedicated school students, in a
scholarship program established under the title "Bayer
Climate Fellows", to attend seminars abroad on the subject
of climate protection by offering financial support of up to EUR
5,000.
More information is available at www.climate.bayer.com.
2007/11/30 AFX News
Bayer has financial means
for 'larger' acquisition - CEO
Bayer AG, which bought
rival drug maker Schering last year, has the financial means to
pursue a 'larger' acquisition after cutting debt by 4.8 bln eur
this year, chief executive Werner Wenning told Handelsblatt.
Bayer's current focus,
however, is on integrating Schering, Wenning said in an interview
with the newspaper.
Any potential takeover
would be in the health-care industry and would not necessarily be
a 'big bang', he said.
Further consolidation
among major pharmaceutical companies cannot be ruled out as
companies look for new areas of growth, and mergers are seen as a
way to realise cost-cutting potential, Wenning added.
The company's drugs
division will post internal growth at the same rate as the
industry through 2009, but it should grow faster than the market
thereafter on demand for anti-thrombosis pill Xarelto and cancer
drug Nexavar, he said.
The development of
Xarelto is costing Bayer 'considerably more' than 1 bln eur
because the pill will be tested on 50,000 patients in total, he
told Handelsblatt.
August 21, 2008 Bayer
Further expansion of
activities in China: Bayer MaterialScience starts construction of
a world-scale TDI plant in Shanghai
Annual
capacity of 250,000 metric tons approved /
Capacity
can be increased to 300,000 metric tons per year /
Start-up
planned for 2010
During the course of this
year Bayer MaterialScience plans to start construction of a
state-of-the-art world-scale facility for the polyurethane raw
material toluene diisocyanate (TDI) at the integrated production
site in Shanghai. The relevant Chinese authorities granted
permission for the new plant, which is scheduled to be commissioned in
2010, to
have an
initial capacity of 250,000 metric tons per year. The company’s global TDI capacity will thus
increase to over 700,000 metric tons a year. There are plans to
expand the production capacity of the new plant to 300,000 metric
tons per year at a later date.
“With
construction work for this local TDI production plant beginning
now, we are once again underlining our commitment to what is the
biggest growth market in the world”, said Patrick Thomas, Chairman of
the Board of Management of Bayer MaterialScience. A four-percent
annual increase in global TDI consumption is expected in the
medium term. Forecasts for China as the major growth driver in
the Asia/Pacific region are twice that, at around eight percent
per year. TDI is deployed throughout the world to produce
flexible polyurethane foam, which is used in large quantities in
upholstered furniture, mattresses and car seats.
The innovative gas phase phosgenation technology developed by
Bayer MaterialScience is being used on a world scale for the
first time in the TDI plant. It reduces solvent consumption by
around 80 percent in a production facility of this size, thereby
cutting energy consumption by up to 60 percent. Thus the process
technology enables a significant reduction in operating costs and
also makes a key contribution to climate protection. Compared
with conventional production facilities of similar size, carbon
dioxide emissions can be cut by around 60,000 metric tons a year.
The new process technology also cuts investment costs for this
type of large-scale facility by some 20 percent. “This enables us to further
consolidate our leading position on the world market for
polyurethanes with optimized cost structures,”
explained Peter
Vanacker, head of the Polyurethane Business Unit and a member of
the Bayer MaterialScience Executive Committee.
The TDI project is part of a wide-ranging investment program at
Bayer’s integrated site in Shanghai. The
total investment planned for this site up until 2012 amounts to
EUR 2.1 billion, EUR 0.7 billion of which are scheduled for the
period from 2009 until 2012. This will cover the expansion of the
originally planned production capacities, including the necessary
precursors, as well as any increased construction costs ? due to
the price of steel, for example.
The integrated site in Shanghai is currently being expanded by
Bayer into the group’s largest and most technically
advanced production site in the Asia/Pacific region. The
backward-integrated world-scale plant for diphenylmethane
diisocyanate (MDI) is due to go into operation this year, with a
capacity of 350,000 metric tons per year. This production facility will be
the largest of its kind in the world. In 2006, Bayer
MaterialScience inaugurated a splitter in Shanghai that
separates raw MDI into monomeric and polymeric MDI and has a
capacity of 80,000 metric tons a year. Polymeric MDI is used in large
volumes to produce rigid polyurethane foam, which offers the best
thermal insulation of all materials currently available on the
market and is used as an insulation material in house building
and the refrigeration chain. The monomeric product is utilized as
a starting material for polyurethane elastomer production.
About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2007 sales of EUR 10.4 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is
among the world’s largest polymer companies.
Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech
polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for
products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments
served are the automotive, electrical and electronics,
construction, and sports and leisure industries. At the end of
2007, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed
approximately 15,400 people around the globe. Bayer
MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.
2008/9/9 Reuters
Bayer shares gain on talk
of Pfizer interest
Shares in German drugs
and chemicals group Bayer rose nearly 4 percent on Tuesday on
market talk of takeover interest from U.S. rival Pfizer, traders
said.
Bayer shares were 3.65 percent higher at 54.62 euros by 1005 GMT,
compared with a 0.8 percent rise on the German benchmark DAX
.GDAXI index.
Bayer, which has a market capitalisation of around 40 billion
euros ($57 billion), declined to comment. A Pfizer spokesman said
the New York-based group did not comment on market speculation.
Bayer, which boasts a healthy pipeline of new drugs and an
attractive over-the-counter medicines business, has been a
rumoured takeover target in the past.
Any acquisition by a pure pharmaceutical company, however, would
be complicated, since it would require the break-up of the
chemical-drugs hybrid. Bayer is also a top global player in
plastics and in agrochemicals.
For Pfizer, buying Bayer would bring an added complication in
that the U.S. group only recently sold off its non-prescription drug
business to Johnson & Johnson.
Pfizer has a history of doing mega-deals but investors have been
disappointed by past acquisitions that have failed to curtail its
reliance on ageing blockbusters, including cholesterol fighter
Lipitor, which goes off patent in 2011.
The company makes $13 billion a year from Lipitor and needs new
products to offset sales declines of this and other products.
Pfizer became the global industry leader by buying Pharmacia and
Warner-Lambert during the past decade, but its stock is trading
at 11-year lows because its laboratories have failed to deliver
enough new drugs.
September 16, 2008 Bayer
Bayer HealthCare acquires
German DIREVO Biotech AG
A recognized leader in protein
engineering /
Expanding technological know-how
in biologicals /
Strengthening Bayer HealthCare’s commitment to develop innovative
biologicals
Bayer HealthCare AG
acquires the German biotech company DIREVO Biotech AG, Cologne. With the acquisition of
the biotech company specialized in protein engineering, Bayer
strengthens the research competence in biologicals of its
pharmaceutical division Bayer Schering Pharma. The
industrial biotechnology business of DIREVO Biotech is not subject
to the transaction. Closing of the deal of a value of 210 million Euro is projected for end of September
2008.
Bayer Healthcare plans to
integrate DIREVO Biotech’s research and development
(R&D) personnel into Bayer Schering Pharma’s global drug discovery
organization. The site in Cologne will be maintained and
integrated into Bayer Schering Pharma as a center of expertise
for biologicals alongside the global R&D centers in Germany
(Berlin and Wuppertal) and the USA (Berkeley).
DIREVO Biotech’s unique and proprietary protein
engineering platform uses high throughput technologies for
the rapid discovery and optimization of biopharmaceuticals. The platform has already been
successfully applied to a wide range of proteins, including
therapeutic antibodies and proteases that will be added to the
preclinical pipeline of Bayer Schering Pharma.
“Today
Bayer Schering Pharma is among the top ten biologicals companies
in the world. We are committed to further strengthen our
biologicals portfolio, and DIREVO’s leadership in protein
engineering provides promising opportunities for further business
growth,” said Arthur Higgins, CEO of Bayer
HealthCare AG.
”With
this deal, we emphasize our position as a recognized leader in
protein engineering. Bayer HealthCare is our owner of choice not
only because of the excellent perspectives for our projects but
also due to the close geographic proximity,”
said Thomas von Rüden, CEO of DIREVO Biotech AG. “We feel that this is in the best
interest of our former owners and our employees. As part of Bayer
Schering Pharma, we will further develop our expertise and
knowledge in biopharmaceutical research.”
A podcast on this
topic can be found here: www.podcast.bayer.com.
6 September 2008 DIREVO Biotech
DIREVO Biotech
Acquired by Bayer HealthCare
DIREVO Biotech AG
announced today its acquisition by Bayer HealthCare in an all
cash deal at a transaction value of Euro 210 Million (approx.
$300 Million). DIREVO
Industrial Biotechnology GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of
DIREVO Biotech AG, is not subject to this transaction and has
been sold in a separate deal to a group of financial
investors.
DIREVO Biotech’s unique and proprietary
protein engineering platform uses high throughput
technologies for the rapid discovery and optimization of
biopharmaceuticals. The platform has already been
successfully applied to a wide range of proteins, including
therapeutic antibodies and proteases that will be added to
the preclinical pipeline of Bayer Schering Pharma.
Bayer Healthcare plans to integrate DIREVO Biotech’s research and development
(R&D) personnel into Bayer Schering Pharma’s global drug discovery
organization. The site in Cologne will be maintained and
integrated into Bayer Schering Pharma as a center of
expertise for biologicals alongside the global R&D
centers in Germany (Berlin and Wuppertal) and the USA
(Berkeley).
”With this deal we emphasize
our position as a recognized leader in protein engineering.
Bayer HealthCare is our new owner of choice not only because
of the excellent perspectives for our projects but also due
to the close geographic proximity,”
said Thomas von
Rüden, CEO of DIREVO Biotech AG.
“We feel that this is in the
best interest of our former owners and our employees. As part
of Bayer Schering Pharma we will further develop our
expertise and knowledge in biopharmaceutical research.”
“Today Bayer
Schering Pharma is among the top ten biologics companies in
the world. We are committed to further strengthen our
biologicals portfolio, and DIREVO’s leadership in protein
engineering provides promising opportunities for further
business growth,” said Arthur Higgins, CEO of
Bayer HealthCare AG.
DIREVO was advised by Mummert & Company Corporate Finance
GesmbH and Mayer Brown LLP.
September 16 2008
DIREVO
DIREVO Announces Sale
of its Subsidiary DIREVO Industrial Biotechnology GmbH and
Series A Financing
DIREVO Biotech AG
announced today the sale of its fully owned subsidiary DIREVO
Industrial Biotechnology GmbH that was incorporated recently
for an undisclosed cash amount to a group of
investors.
In addition, the new company completed a EUR 8 million
financing in the form of Series A Preferred Stock. The
participating institutions included Bankhaus Wölbern (Hamburg) and NRW Bank
(Düsseldorf) as lead investors,
TVM-Capital (Munich), Danisco A/S (Copenhagen), a Sparkasse KölnBonn (Cologne) affiliated
private equity firm, Signet Healthcare (New York), Mulligan
BioCapital (Hamburg), several private investors, including
Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. Manfred Eigen, and management.
The company received from its parent company DIREVO Biotech
AG, which was recently acquired by Bayer HealthCare AG,
exclusive access to the DIREVO technology platform for all
markets and applications outside the field of
biopharmaceuticals development and has the rights to
duplicate the DIREVO technology platform and for its
application in its field of business. The Company currently
has a total of 17 full time employees and receives
administrative and technical services from the parent company
until successful build up of its own capabilities which is
expected to be completed within a year from now.
”This is part of the overall
company strategy towards maximizing the value of DIREVO’s technologies and
capabilities”, said Dr. Thomas von Rüden, CEO of DIREVO Biotech AG.
“Having dedicated investors to
the IBT business and having closed our series A financing
will enable DIREVO Industrial Biotechnology GmbH to rapidly
build-up our own capabilities in protein engineering and
strain optimization”, Anindya Mukherjee, Managing
Director of IBT GmbH, added.
“Following the tremendous
success story with the DIREVO Biotech AG acquisition by Bayer
HealthCare AG, we are now looking forward to building a
leading Industrial Biotechnology company”, concluded Prof. Dr. Heinrich
Schulte, speaking for the group of investors.
DIREVO Industrial Biotechnology GmbH
DIREVO Industrial Biotechnology GmbH was formed as a spin-out
from DIREVO's industrial biotechnology business unit and AC Biotec GmbH.
The company focuses on Food & Feed and
Biorefinery markets and provides solutions through
discovery, development and scale up of enzymes and strains.
It develops products both independently and with global
leaders such as Danisco/Genencor and Nestlé. For example, a collaboration
with Danisco A/S has yielded a significantly improved enzyme
which is marketed as part of a Danisco/Genencor product.
The company is lead by Mr. Anindya Mukherjee, who joined
DIREVO from DSM in the year 2007, and Dr. Hans-Günter Brünker, who joined DIREVO coming
from amaxa AG beginning of the year 2008. Additional members
of the senior management team are Dr. Henrik Moellgaard as
Head of R&D, joining from Christian Hansen in 2007, and
Dr. Simon Curvers Managing Director of AC Biotec GmbH that
was acquired in 2007.
DIREVO Industrial Biotechnology GmbH is privately held and
located in Cologne, Germany. Additional information is
available at: www.direvo.com
About Bankhaus Wölbern
The Wölbern Group initiates private
equity investments via fund solutions of the issuing house Wölbern Invest AG and direct
investments via Wölbern EquityPartner AG,
100%-subsidiary of Bankhaus Wölbern. The inducement of the
investments within the frame of fund solutions is Prof. Dr.
Heinrich Maria Schulte, Wölbern-Owner, medic and
entrepreneur. The investor and co-founder of successful
biotechnology companies is setting new investment trends with
investments in new industries as well as in classical
buyouts.
About NRW.Bank
As the state development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia,
NRW.BANK has implemented a wide range of financial
development tools. Promoting technology and innovation is one
of the main tasks of NRW.BANK. The NRW.BANK.Venture Fonds
with a total volume of EUR 40 million is able to provide
equity financing for early stage companies. Financing for
technology-oriented companies in the seed phase is offered by
the NRW.BANK.Seed Fonds. Mid cap companies with strong growth
potential benefit from the NRW.BANK.Mittelstandsfonds, which
invests equity capital up to 7 million. With total assets of
approximately EUR 150 billion, NRW.BANK is the largest
institution among Germany’s regional development banks.
More information: www.nrwbank.de.
About TVM Capital Life Sciences
The TVM Capital Life Sciences Practice with ?820 million
($1.26B USD) under management is one of the largest venture
and growth investors in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals in
Europe and the US, with a growing presence in Asia and the
Middle. Twenty years of successful investing and value
creation, in traditional early and late-stage venture as well
as venture growth and growth capital, makes the TVM Capital
Life Science Practice a unique partner for the needs of the
biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Founded in 1983,
TVM Capital is headquartered in Munich with offices in Boston
and New York. More information: www.tvm-capital.com.
About Danisco A/S
With a rich and innovative portfolio, Danisco is a world
leader in food ingredients, enzymes and bio-based solutions.
Using nature’s own materials, science and
the knowledge of our 9,500 people, we design and deliver
bio-based ingredients that meet market demand for healthier
and safer products. Danisco’s ingredients are used
globally in a wide range of industries ? from bakery, dairy
and beverages to animal feed, laundry detergents and
bioethanol ? offering functional, economic and environmental
benefits. Headquartered in Denmark and operating from more
than 120 locations, Danisco’s key focus is to become our
customers’ First choice and a truly
market-driven global business. In addition, we have one of
the most efficient sugar production platforms in Europe. Find
out more at www.danisco.com.
About Sparkasse KölnBonn
Sparkasse KölnBonn is the largest communal
savings bank under public law in Germany. Besides a full
range of banking services to retail and corporate customers
they also offer equity solutions: Private equity and
Mezzanine for established midsize companies and venture
capital for innovative high-growth companies. The venture
capital investments of Sparkasse KoelnBonn are always
realized together with other investors well versed in the
particular industry and are concentrated on the area around
the two cities Cologne and Bonn. Biocampus Cologne, one of
the major biotechnology parks in Germany, where DIREVO is
located, is also part of their portfolio.
About Signet Healthcare Partners
Signet Healthcare Partners was founded in 1998 with the
establishment of the Corporate Opportunities Funds. Since
1998, we have organized three funds and completed investments
in approximately 27 companies. The team is comprised of five
professionals with principal offices in New York City. This
team brings over 100 years experience of collective
healthcare experience in the specialty pharmaceutical,
medical device, private equity and investment banking
businesses. For the past nine years, Signet Healthcare has
maintained its dedicated focus to diversified healthcare
investments - primarily serving as lead investor to expansion
stage companies engaged in specialty pharmaceuticals, medical
devices and the pharma services industries.
AC
Biotec GmbH
In November 2007,
DIREVO acquired AC Biotec GmbH, Jülich, Germany, a provider of
bioprocess development and contract manufacturing services to
the industrial biotechnology and pharmaceutical markets.
Established in 2001, AC Biotec offers development,
optimization and application of fermentation and downstream
processes, using both microbial and plant cell-based systems.
This includes the complete scale-up of biotechnological
processes, ranging from multi-well plates and shake flasks up
to pilot-scale stirred-tank-reactors.
September 12, 2008 Bayer
Bayer MaterialScience
expands global production network for polyurethane dispersions
Low-VOC raw materials for high-quality, environmentally friendly
formulations
Waterborne coating and
adhesive raw materials now also from Shanghai
Bayer MaterialScience has
opened a state-of-the-art production plant at the integrated
production site in Shanghai to manufacture polyurethane
dispersions (PUD). The plant has an annual capacity of 20,000
metric tons. Bayer MaterialScience now therefore has facilities
in North America, Europe and Asia for these key raw materials for
manufacturing environmentally friendly, waterborne coating
systems and adhesives.
“We
are looking to safeguard supplies out of Shanghai in the long
term for the rapidly growing Asian market in particular, thereby
actively benefiting from growth in this region,”
explained Dr.
Joachim Wolff, head of the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties (CAS)
Business Unit and member of the Executive Committee of Bayer
MaterialScience, at the official inauguration. “This sees us underpinning our
leading international role on the polyurethane raw materials
market and strengthening our long-term presence in Asia. At the
same time, we are living up to the responsibility we have set
ourselves to maintain sustainable economic development, for
example through the Bayer Climate Program,”
he added.
The production of polyurethane dispersions in Shanghai reflects
in two respects the significant increase in environmental
awareness that has also recently become evident in China. The
products in question form an important basis for manufacturing
waterborne and thus low-emission paints, coatings and adhesives
for a variety of applications. These include metal, wood and
plastic coatings, adhesives for the footwear, furniture and
automotive industries, textile and leather coatings and glass
fiber sizing. The second ecological aspect concerns the new
production facility itself. This sets standards through
technology that is not only innovative and robust but also
environmentally friendly and energy efficient.
The CAS Business Unit has also invested heavily in its Polymer
Research & Development Center in Shanghai to provide
state-of-the-art analytical processes, ensuring high, consistent
product quality and offering customers locally-based,
cutting-edge technical support. High-quality products and
comprehensive know-how thus deliver innovative, customer oriented
system solutions.
“The
CAS Business Unit is looking to use its wide-ranging portfolio of
waterborne dispersions to secure and expand its excellent
position on the market throughout the world. Ongoing development
of the product portfolio is key to this, with our focus on
low-VOC, cosolvent-free dispersions that have outstanding green
credentials while also offering maximum degree of freedom in
formulation development,” said Dr. Wolff in conclusion.
About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2007 sales of EUR 10.4 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is
among the world’s largest polymer companies.
Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech
polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for
products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments
served are the automotive, electrical and electronics,
construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of
2007, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed
approximately 15,400 people around the globe. Bayer
MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.
October 17, 2008 Bayer
Bayer significantly
strengthens its presence in China
Startup of 350,000 tons/year MDI train / Groundbreaking for
250,000 tons/year TDI plant / Isocyanate production also to be
expanded in Europe in the medium term
Bayer MaterialScience has
successfully started production at its new 350,000 tons/year
diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) complex at the Bayer Integrated Site
Shanghai (BISS). The new world-scale plant is the largest MDI
facility of its kind in the world. Furthermore, the company has
now broken
ground for a 250,000 tons/year toluene diisocyanate (TDI) plant at BISS which is scheduled to come
on stream in 2010. “With these projects Bayer
MaterialScience is emphasizing its commitment to the growth
markets in China and the whole Asia Pacific region. Innovative
process technologies strengthen our cost leadership in isocyanate
production and thus our competitiveness,”
said Patrick
Thomas, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer
MaterialScience, at a press conference in Shanghai on Friday.
MDI is a raw material used primarily for the production of
polyurethane rigid foams, which have better insulating properties
than any other material on the market. Two of their main
applications are in the refrigeration chain and as thermal
insulation in the building industry. TDI is used in large
quantities in the production of flexible polyurethane foam for
upholstered furniture, mattresses, and car seats.
For Bayer MaterialScience, China is already the most important
market in the Asia Pacific region and currently its third largest
national market worldwide. “We are confident that our
materials will continue to exhibit good growth rates there,”
said Thomas. China
is already the world’s largest single market for
polycarbonates, and it is expected to become the largest global
consumer of polyurethanes by 2015.
Shaping the future in China with advanced process technology
The new facilities set standards for energy-efficient and
environmentally-responsible production. The new TDI facility in
Shanghai, for example, features the modern Gas Phase Process.
This enables energy savings of up to 60 percent compared with a
conventional plant of the same size. The new process technology
uses up to 80 percent less solvent, and cuts investment costs for
this type of large-scale facility by some
20 percent. “This enables us to further
consolidate our leading position on the world market for
polyurethanes with optimized cost structures,”
explained Patrick
Thomas.
In addition, the oxygen depolarized cathode (ODC) technology used
to recycle chlorine at the Bayer Integrated Site Shanghai yields
30 percent savings in energy use compared with conventional
technology. Thomas pointed out how the company is contributing to
China’s efforts to improve the
energy-efficiency of its industries: “By using advanced technology and
an energy-efficient setup at the site, the Bayer Integrated Site
Shanghai is able to save approximately 100 megawatts compared
with conventional production plants. These savings can supply up
to 10,000 homes,” he said.
Other production facilities for the Asian market
Just last month, the company started up its 20,000 tons/year
polyurethane dispersions plant, which is the first unit producing
waterborne polyurethane coating raw materials in China.
Waterborne coating systems use little or no solvent, thereby
reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during
application.
The company has also completed the construction of its second
polycarbonate line, doubling its capacity for the high-tech
engineering plastic Makrolon(R) to 200,000
tons/year.
The inauguration of this second production line will depend on
how the market develops.
Products for improved climate protection are another growth
driver in China. Bayer materials help to improve housing
insulation, for example, by contributing to reduced heating costs
and lower CO2 emissions. Over its entire life cycle, rigid
polyurethane foam saves around 70 times as much energy as is used
in its production. In addition to polyurethane insulating boards,
multiwall sheet made of Makrolon polycarbonate is another example
of the energy-efficient use of modern materials.
New TDI production plant planned for integrated site in Dormagen
Bayer MaterialScience also plans to extend its isocyanate
production significantly in the Europe, Middle East, Africa
(EMEA) region in order to meet rising demand there. A new
world-scale plant for TDI with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons
is slated for construction at the Dormagen/Uerdingen integrated
site in Germany. It will replace the existing TDI plants at the
Dormagen and Brunsbuttel sites. MDI production at Brunsbuttel
will be expanded to a total capacity of 400,000 tons/year by
making use of the existing capacity of 160,000 tons/year and the
existing infrastructure, and by converting the present TDI plant
to an MDI facility. Given the right business conditions, i.e.
political acceptance and the availability of a suitable
infrastructure for raw materials and energy, the two projects are
scheduled to be completed by 2013 at a total investment cost of
about EUR 300 million.
Oct 28, 2008 Reuters
US warns Bayer over
aspirins containing supplements
Two over-the-counter
Bayer AG aspirin products that contain dietary supplements have not been proven to
work and are
being
sold illegally,
U.S. health regulators warned on Tuesday.
Claims made about the products, Bayer Aspirin with
Heart Advantage
and Bayer
Women's Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium, also mislead consumers,
the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration said.
"These are not FDA-approved products," agency
spokeswoman Rita Chappelle said. "They are selling products
that are illegal."
The FDA stopped short of calling for the pain relievers to be
removed from store shelves but urged the company to take
"prompt action" or else face legal action.
But Bayer defended the medications and its right to market them.
"We stand behind both products and all marketing claims made
in their support," the German drugmaker said in a statement.
The company added that its advertisements tell buyers to check
with their doctors before taking the combination aspirins. Bayer
Aspirin with Heart Advantage also tells consumers the drug does
not replace cholesterol-lowering medication.
Bayer Aspirin with Heart Advantage contains plant sterols植物ステロール
and claims on its
packaging to help control cholesterol, while Bayer Women's Low Dose
Aspirin + Calcium claims to help strengthen bones and prevent
osteoporosis.骨粗しょう症
(植物ステロールは、広く植物に含まれる成分で、特に豆類、穀類の胚芽に多く含まれている。
)
"These statements on
the labeling send consumers a mixed message about the purpose of
the product and the duration for which it can be safely
used," the FDA wrote in an Oct. 27 warning letter to the
company released on Tuesday.
FDA officials gave Bayer 15 days to respond to the warning. To
comply, the drugmaker could stop selling the products or conduct
clinical trials and seek FDA approval.
If the company does not take proper action, the FDA could seize
the product, seek an injunction or take other legal steps. Bayer
said it was reviewing the agency's letter.
The drugmaker's marketing of its Heart Advantage aspirin is also
the subject of a congressional investigation.
Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and
Commerce Committee began probing whether Bayer misled the public
by marketing the combination product directly to consumers.
"Our investigation will continue," committee Chairman
John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, said.
In its letter, the FDA confirmed Bayer's actions violated the
agency's policies.
Unlike drugs, supplements such as vitamins and
herbs do not have to be proven safe and effective before they can be sold in the
United States. But adding them to already-approved drugs makes
them entirely new products that must be subject to FDA review
before being sold, the agency said.
At the same time, the FDA has approved a variety of health claims
for certain foods and supplements that manufacturers can include
on their product packaging, such as the impact of plant sterols
in reducing heart disease.
Bayer earlier told the agency it was within its rights to market
its Bayer Heart Advantage, the FDA said citing a separate Aug. 18
letter from the company.
In it, the drugmaker said the FDA and the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission support public education about aspirin's heart
benefits, "and that a ban on cardiovascular 心臓血管 claims in consumer labeling for
Bayer Heart Advantage would violate Bayer's rights under the
First Amendment," according to the FDA.
But the agency rebuked that argument, saying the U.S.
Constitution does not protect speech that is false, misleading or
concerns illegal activity.
It is the agency's duty to scrutinize new products because
otherwise consumers could waste money and "more importantly,
rely to their detriment on a drug product which did not go
through the requisite regulatory review, and could prove
harmful," it said.
The American Herbal Products Association, which represents
supplement manufacturers, has been seeking FDA guidance on the
marketing of combination drug-supplement products, but criticized
the agency's action.
"FDA could have developed a streamlined science-based policy
to control the introduction of health promoting products, rather
than forbid all combination products," the group's
president, Michael McGuffin, said.
After the FDA warning, Bayer shares trimmed gains to close up
about 1 percent on the German exchange.
2008/11/17 Bayer
Bayer builds new chlorine
recycling plant for TDI production in Shanghai
Cost leadership through
implementation of best available technologies / License agreement
with Sumitomo Chemical
Bayer MaterialScience
plans to build another chlorine recycling plant at the Bayer
Integrated Site Shanghai (BISS). The process for this new unit is
based on the catalytic oxidation of hydrogen
chloride using oxygen. The new technology has been
developed by the Japanese company Sumitomo Chemical
Co., Ltd.,
and was licensed to Bayer MaterialScience. The plant will ensure
the chlorine supply of the new 250,000 tons/year toluene
diisocyanate (TDI) facility in Shanghai. Bayer
MaterialScience has now broken ground for this new plant, which
is based on the company’s innovative gas phase
phosgenation process and is scheduled to come on stream in 2010.
The new chlorine recycling technology was awarded the prestigious
Green & Sustainable Chemistry Award in Japan for being both
energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. It enables a
reduction in energy consumption of more than half versus the
conventional process.
“By
introducing this new chlorine recycling process at Bayer
MaterialScience we continue to implement the best and most
innovative process technologies to strengthen our leadership
position in the polyurethane industry,”
says Peter
Vanacker, head of the Polyurethanes Business Unit and member of
the Executive Committee of Bayer MaterialScience.
The process will take hydrogen chloride co-produced during the
manufacture of isocyanates, and will convert it very efficiently
to chlorine which is re-used as raw material. During the past
years, Sumitomo Chemical has enhanced the process and proven its
technical viability in combination with already operating
manufacturing plants.
At BISS, Bayer MaterialScience has just started a new hydrochloric acid
electrolysis plant
to supply the 350,000 tons/year diphenylmethane diisocyanate
(MDI) train with chlorine. It uses the energy saving Oxygen
Depolarized Cathode technology, which has been developed by Bayer
and partners.
“By
combining these two innovative technologies, we will strengthen
our cost leadership in the isocyanate production. We will also be
able to significantly reduce energy consumption and by that
contribute to climate protection,” adds Peter Vanacker.
About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2007 sales of 10.4 billion euros, Bayer MaterialScience is
among the world’s largest polymer companies.
Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech
polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for
products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments
served are the automotive, electrical and electronics,
construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of
2007, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed
approximately 15,400 people around the globe. Bayer
MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.
February 12, 2009 Bayer
Bayer Schering Pharma to
invest 100 million Euro in China to build a global R&D center
Bayer Schering Pharma AG,
the pharmaceutical division of Bayer HealthCare (BHC), announced
today that it will be strengthening its global Research and
Development (R&D) capabilities through the foundation of a global R&D
center in Beijing, China. The company will invest some 100 million
Euro over the next five years to establish the center. With the
establishment of the R&D center in China, especially Asian
patients will benefit from considering their clinical profile and
medical needs early-on.
“We
are continuously increasing our presence in the Asia Pacific
Region where China is our key growth driver. In our new R&D
Center in Beijing, we will establish a world class R&D team
extending our global R&D expertise and capabilities,”
said Andreas Fibig,
Executive Committee member of BHC and Chairman of Bayer Schering
Pharma AG’s Board of Management. “Beijing will be an important site
for our global innovative drug development.”
According to IMS
Health, Bayer is the number one healthcare company in China and
the growth rate in China was around 43% in 2007. China is the
third largest market worldwide for the Bayer group, and it will
become the third country besides Germany and the US to host a
Global R&D Center for Bayer Schering Pharma. Highly talented
scientific teams will cooperate in Beijing focusing on the
development of innovative therapies.
“Our
goal is to build a world class organization here in Beijing that
will lead drug development not only for China but also for other
Asian countries.” said Kemal Malik, member of the
Board of Management of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Head of Global
Development and Chief Medical Officer. “Our aim is to systematically
include Asian patients earlier in global drug development,
breaking the tradition of ‘US and EU first’.”
Bayer Schering
Pharma AG is a worldwide leading specialty pharmaceutical company
focusing on women’s healthcare, cardiology, oncology
and diagnostic imaging. It possesses high competence in these
therapeutic areas with a strong development pipeline.
“Constantly
improving the quality and output of research is crucial for a
pharmaceutical company to bring novel therapies to patients.”
said Andreas Busch,
member of the Board of Management of Bayer Schering Pharma AG,
Head of Global Drug Discovery. “We believe that China bears
tremendous potential in terms of innovation. In addition to the
establishment of development functions, we will also launch the
Global Drug Discovery Innovation Center here in Beijing where our
scientists will expedite new innovative approaches together with
our Chinese partners. By doing so, we also want to support the
further development of local expertise.“
Along this line,
Bayer Schering Pharma also announced that it is currently in
advanced discussions with Tsinghua University 清華大学
on entering into a unique
strategic partnership to pursue research collaborations for the
discovery of new disease-related targets in the core areas of
Bayer’s pharmaceutical research. With
this partnership Bayer would be the first multinational company
in China to enter into a partnership with such a respected and
renowned Chinese university.
“China
is home to a large pool of skilled medical and scientific
talents. Our goal is to work closely together with our Chinese
partners to support China conducting their own R&D activities
and at the same time we will be able to strengthen our own
R&D capabilities,” said Andreas Fibig.
About Bayer
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in
the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials.
Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in
the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in
Leverkusen, Germany.The company combines the global activities of
the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and
Pharmaceuticals divisions. The pharmaceuticals business operates
under the name Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and
manufacture products that will improve human and animal health
worldwide. Find more information at www.bayerhealthcare.com.
About Bayer Schering Pharma
Bayer Schering Pharma is a worldwide leading specialty
pharmaceutical company. Its research and business activities are
focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, Special
Medicines, General Medicine and Women's Healthcare. With
innovative products, Bayer Schering Pharma aims for leading
positions in specialized markets worldwide. Using new ideas,
Bayer Schering Pharma aims to make a contribution to medical
progress and strives to improve the quality of life. Find more
information at www.bayerscheringpharma.de.