Bayer MaterialScience acquires remaining shares in the systems house joint venture Baulé

Bayer MaterialScience will acquire the remaining shares in the 50:50 systems house joint venture Baulé SAS from EXIMIUM SAS and other shareholders. The joint venture was established in 2008 by the Leverkusen-based company and Michel Baulé SA, which later was renamed EXIMIUM SAS. Baulé SAS is a global leader in the development, formulation and processing of polyurethane (PU) cast elastomers. Based in Romans, France, the company has subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and China. The transaction affects 139 employees, all of whom will be retained. Financial details have not been disclosed.

"The complete acquisition of Baulé SAS enables us to expand our potential for cast elastomers and also provides us with even greater access to this attractive market," says Dr. Wilhelm Lamberts, the assigned President of Baulé and current Managing Director of the systems house Bayer MaterialScience Oldenburg GmbH & Co. KG in Oldenburg, Germany. "This also emphasizes Bayer MaterialScience´s strategic orientation on growth markets."

Polyurethane cast elastomers are elastic, durable and wear resistant materials with outstanding abrasion resistance, under certain conditions even better than steel. Cast polyurethane products are made by mixing and pouring liquid reactants under low pressure into molds. Their unique properties make them suitable for a very wide range of applications, from industrial and mechanical parts to applications in mining, oil and gas, printing and wheel industries.

With 2011 sales of EUR 10.8 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 2011, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 14,800 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

Source: Bayer MaterialScience