Portfolio

Bayer MaterialScience

Bayer MaterialScience is a renowned supplier of high-performance materials and innovative system solutions used in a wide range of products for everyday life. Products with leading positions on the world market account for a major share of sales. Principal customers are the automotive and construction industries, the electrical/electronics sector and manufacturers of sports and leisure articles, packaging and medical equipment.

Bayer MaterialScience had about 15,400 employees at 40 production sites worldwide as of March 31, 2007 and posted sales of EUR 10,435 million in 2007.

Four business units

Operations comprise four business units: Polycarbonates; Polyurethanes; Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties; and Thermoplastic Polyurethanes.

Polyurethanes (PUR) have long been indispensable in many areas of everyday life. PUR raw materials are used in applications ranging from car seats and insulation for refrigerators and containers, heating pipes to car bumpers, shoe soles and mattresses.

Bayer MaterialScience is the world's leading manufacturer of polyurethane raw materials and systems due to our ability to develop new products and technologies as well as our intense customers service. We customize formulations, provide the know-how for processing PUR systems as well as the construction, design and functionality of PUR products.

Our expertise and know-how stem from the very birth of the polyurethane technology. Dr Otto Bayer, who was head of Bayer's research department for more than thirty years, invented the polyisocyanate polyaddition process - the method by which polyurethanes are still manufactured today. Since that time we have developed hundreds of patented products that have made the lives of thousands of people easier and more pleasant.

Principal products and brands

Desmodur®, Bayhydur®, Dispercoll®, Artwalk®: Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties
Makrolon®, Makrofol® / Bayfol®, Fantasia™, Bayblend®: Polycarbonates
Multitec®, Baydur®, Bayflex®, Baypreg®, Vulkollan®: Polyurethanes
Desmopan® / Texin®: Thermoplastic Polyurethanes

The brands and their application

Makrolon®
Transparent, impact-resistant polycarbonate for CDs, DVDs, automotive applications, architectural glazing, electrical and electronic applications.

Baydur®
Polyurethane integral-skin foam and molding systems for appliance housings, medical equipment, sports goods, sanitary items and furniture.

Bayflex® Footwear
Polyurethane systems and raw materials for the shoe industry.

Desmodur®/Desmophen®
Raw materials for automotive and industrial coatings, anti-corrosion systems and floor coatings.

Desmopan®
Thermoplastic polyurethanes for a wide variety of high-tech applications.

Other Bayer MaterialScience products

Subsidiaries

Bayer MaterialScience has four well-positioned independent specialist companies that are continually developing and comprise a valuable adjunct to the portfolio:

Hennecke GmbH a manufacturer of polyurethane processing machinery, can draw on many years of experience and offers an extremely broad range of equipment for practically all areas of application.

Bayer Sheet Europe is a provider of high-quality plastic sheeting made, among other things, using Makrolon®.

BaySystems Northern Europe The leading polyurethane systems house in Northern Europe BaySystems Northern Europe is part of Bayer MaterialScience, too.

BaySystems Northern Europe produces and markets custom made polyurethane solutions to industries. We have modern production facilities in Randers, Denmark, and in Finland as well as sales offices in all Nordic and Baltic countries. The administration and technical center are situated in Otterup, Denmark.