September 2008

On September 1, 2008, Bayer MaterialScience will begin marketing the plastics recyclate Levblend® through the Internet platform www.viverso.com.

Levblend® is a PC+ABS-R (polycarbonate+acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-copolymer-recyclate). “With this new recyclate, based on Makrolon® post-production waste material from the Uerdingen and Antwerp plants, Bayer MaterialScience is making a greater contribution than ever before to the responsible use of raw materials and the sustainability of its plastics production operations. Our customers can also rely on a continuous supply of raw materials and assured availability”, says Frank Gerling, Vice President for Product Management Europe, Middle East and Africa in the Polycarbonates Business Unit at Bayer MaterialScience. Gerling believes that Levblend® will support ongoing cost-cutting programs such as those in the automotive industry by providing an alternative and more economical raw material. Selling the product online through Viverso GmbH also means that orders can be processed rapidly and cost-effectively.

Initially, the PC+ABS-R is being marketed exclusively to automobile manufacturers and their suppliers based in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The next step will be to distribute the product throughout the whole of Europe. The experts at Bayer MaterialScience believe that Levblend® is ideal for use in plastics components for the automotive industry, for example add-on body parts, component assemblies and front and rear headlamps – all of which can be designed in a PC+ABS-R from the outset.

The first product from the new recyclate family will be Levblend® 80. One of the key properties of this material is its heat resistance to Vicat VST/B120 (between 124 and 134 °C) in line with ISO 306. The melt volume flow rate (MVR, 260 °C/5 kg) of Levblend® 80 ranges from 5 to 16 cm3/10 min in line with ISO standard 1133. Notched impact strength AiN (at room temperature) according to ISO 180/A is at least 25 kJ/m2. Levblend® 80 will initially only be available in black – it has a broader color tolerance range than familiar prime-grade qualities. Color customization is not planned.

Rüdiger Held, Managing Director of Viverso, is pleased to have concluded the marketing and sales contract with Bayer MaterialScience and believes that Internet-based trading offers a range of benefits: “Standardized order processing enables us to make the process of purchasing plastic recyclates more efficient for customers, thereby reducing their costs. Right from the start of our business operations, we have only ever wanted to offer what customers actually need – and have done so at fair and transparent prices. Our Internet platform at www.viverso.com enables us to run our business in a straightforward, fast, reliable and efficient manner.”

Further information on PC+ABS-R is available at www.viverso.com, which can be used for online purchases and also lists the relevant contact details. Furthermore, materials experts will be on hand to answer all questions at this year’s Fakuma trade fair, which will be taking place from October 14 to 18 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Visitors will find Viverso GmbH at Stand 4502 in Hall B4.

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.

About Viverso:
Viverso GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bayer MaterialScience AG headquartered in Bitterfeld, produces and sells traditional coating resins using an innovative, Internet-based business model. Established at the start of 2008, the company employs some 150 people.

About Bayer Bitterfeld:
Approximately 850 people are employed at four different companies at the Bayer Bitterfeld GmbH site. In addition to Bayer Bitterfeld GmbH's pharmaceutical production facilities, with Aspirin as their main product, the site is also home to chemical plants producing ion exchange resins for water softening and demineralization, methyl cellulose as an additive for construction materials and conventional coating resins for a wide variety of applications. The site is an initiative of Bayer AG to promote development in the former East Germany. More than EUR 640 million were invested there between 1992 and 2003.

Information for editors:
More news and information about products, applications and services available from Bayer MaterialScience AG is available at www.bayerbms.com.