LANXESS continues to be optimistic about synthetic rubber market in India

LANXESS, the world’s leader in synthetic rubber has asserted its commitment for the fast growing synthetic rubber market in India by participating in the largest dedicated rubber exhibition in Asia, the India Rubber Expo. The exhibition that would last for four days in Chennai would see the presence all business units from LANXESS pertaining to rubber, namely, Butyl Rubber, Performance Butadiene Rubber, Technical Rubber products, Rhein Chemie (polymer bound Rubber chemicals) and Rubber Chemicals. LANXESS is also a platinum sponsor for the event, where the business units are hopeful of meeting all their key customers.

Dr. Joerg Strassburger, Managing Director and Country Representative, LANXESS India addressed the audience on a very optimistic note about the growth potential for synthetic rubber and its applications in the Indian market. He stated that the biggest consumer of all rubber produced and imported in India is the automobile industry. “The Indian auto industry is the seventh largest in the world today and by 2050, it is estimated that India will have more automobiles than any other country in the world” added Strassburger. He also went ahead to explain LANXESS’ business units related to synthetic rubber and their key value proposition.

The per capita consumption of rubber in India is only one kilo compared to 12 to 14 kilos in Japan, USA and Europe. With regard to consumption of rubber products India is far from attaining saturation. Other critical factors like road safety and fuel economy that will drive innovation in the automobile industry will in turn trigger the demand for high performance rubber products in India. 

The business unit, technical rubber products (TRP) showcased their wide range of specialty elastomers and its applications. Class ‘0’ based, extreme fire resistant floor sheetings from LEVAPREN, high performance shaft seals and fuel tubes made up of THERBAN elastomer, Weatherstrips made from Buna EP etc were some of the exhibits .Also on display was the new polymer in LANXESS portfolio LEVATHERM F (popularly known as fluro elastomers), which can be used for applications of extreme high temperatures (above 200 C) & fuel resistance.

Mr. Prasanth B., Head – Technical Rubber Products, also presented a paper on the new Ultra High ACN THERBAN (Hydrogenated Nitrile Rubber), emphasizing the need of specialty elastomers in biofuel applications .A new generation of environmentally friendly fuels requires the development of elastomers that provide a specific performance profile to assure the reliability of all rubber parts employed, without losing sight of reasonable costs.

The business unit Butyl Rubber and Performance Butadiene Rubbers is going strong with its value proposition for the large tyre market in India for the manufacture of radial and tubeless tyres.

Rhein Chemie, the business unit that manufactures polymer bound chemicals, presented a paper on Bladder Cure Systems, which are new solutions for savings in the mixing room. The process of polymer cross linking with cross linking agents can be a long and time consuming process. The paper described how a lot of the problems being connected with this specific system can be overcome by special combinations of chemicals which would finally lead to higher average bladder lifetime, reduced scrap rates and a reduction in mixing steps. Significant cost savings could be achieved and even a continuous mixing process could be made possible.

Rubber Chemicals Business Unit displayed Silica additives (Zinc free processing aid) as well as Vulcuren and Perkalink (product offerings in the area of anti -reversion technology) at the booth. These additives offer an innovative solution for modern high performance tyres. Mr Kishor Katkar, Head –Technical Services presented a paper highlighting the advantages of using Silica additives.