Lanxess expands new plant for inorganic pigments in Ningbo  

Specialty chemicals group Lanxess AG (Cologne, Germany; www.lanxess.com) is strengthening its production network in China to meet the high level of demand for iron oxide pigments and is adding a mixing and milling plant to the pigment plant already under construction in Ningbo. Lanxess is creating a total of roughly 200 new jobs with these two plants. Potential customers for the iron oxide pigments are the coatings, plastics, construction and paper industries. This brings the total investment at the Ningbo site from around €55 million to around €60 million. The new plant for iron oxide red pigments in Ningbo, which has been built to the latest environmental standards, is being designed for an initial annual synthesis capacity of 25,000 metric tons (m.t.). On the same site, Lanxess is building the mixing and milling plant for pigments with a capacity of 70,000 m.t./yr. This plant will also process raw pigments from other Lanxess sites for the Asian market. The plants are scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015 and to start production in the first quarter of 2016. At the same time, Lanxess will also close its existing mixing and milling operations in Taopu, Shanghai, with a capacity of 35,000 m.t./yr by the…