Chemical group Lanxess’ restructuring of its La Wantzenau nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) site in France is beginning to bear fruit.

According to the company, ongoing annual investment of €5 million in the maintenance and expansion of the production plant until 2008 will increase the efficiency of manufacturing processes even further. The relocation of global NBR research from Dormagen to La Wantzenau means that product developments and solutions will be integrated into production processes even more quickly and as a result, its Technical Rubber Products (TRP) business unit will be able to adapt to the market’s requirements with greater speed and efficiency.

Lanxess supplies NBR elastomers to some 600 customers in 70 countries. They are used in many industries including the footwear sector.