The German speciality chemicals company recently inaugurated the first India Application Development Centre (IADC) in the country’s financial capital, reinforcing its commitment and outlook for the country. 

For Lanxess India, tyre industry accounts for almost 25 percent of its business, as against global average of around 10 percent. And the company’s management continues to be upbeat about the growth story for Indian tyre makers.

“India, from our point of view, will play a very important detrimental role (for Lanxess). Because when you want to grow your industry, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly has as an ambition, you need the chemical industry and all their precursors. And if you want to help the Indian industry to further develop (new solutions), you need to have local application for local needs,” remarked Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the Board of Management of Lanxess.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the India Application Development Centre (IADC) in Thane, Mumbai, which also marks a significant commitment by the German chemical major for the country.

Lanxess is said to be the world’s largest supplier of rubber additives focusing on solutions around rubber chemicals, speciality chemicals and processing aids for the rubber industry. The company’s solutions find their way in high-performance rubber products such as tyres, treads, seals and even drive belts.

At present, Lanxess has established two production facilities in India – Jhagadia in Gujarat and Nagda in Madhya Pradesh. The tyre industry is primarily supported by Lanxess Rhein Chemie Additives Divisions, which manufactures Rhenogran and Rhenodiv at the Jhagadia facility. The company has invested over EUR 70 million in the Jhagadia facility, which not only supports the domestic customer base for Lanxess but also its customers in the Asia-Pacific region. The company has a longstanding presence in India, with representation from all 10 of its business units and a workforce of around 800 employees.

It comes as no surprise that Zachert sees India as a critical growth region for Lanxess, offering immense opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

INDIAN TYRE INDUSTRY A KEY GROWTH DRIVER

Globally, the automotive industry in particular is transitioning from being seen as a seller of products to a mobility solutions provider, what’s with new business models or service solutions.

Zachert sees that while the tyre market was consolidated for many years, it has started opening up in the last decade.

“The global tyre market has opened up, strongly driven by Chinese tyre manufacturers but also Indian tyre manufacturers. We have rising stars here in India. Mobility has always led to liberty and flexibility for mankind. This will be a trend that in the next 10-20 years is not going to vanish. Mobility will be important, which means the tyre industry is important. And therefore, I look positively at the tyre industry going forward, notably the one that is located here in India,” said an optimistic Zachert.

It is important to understand that the company has almost 25 percent of its business exposure to the Indian tyre segment, which could be amongst the highest for the company.

“For our group, the mobility exposure that we have worldwide as a company is 10 percent. We are over-proportionally present here in India, which is good and normal because the industry is expanding. The Indian tyre market is expanding not only locally but globally,” he said.

The recent setting up of IADC is part of Lanxess’ strategic focus on India as a key market and innovation hub. The strengthening of R&D will enable the company to enhance its ability to deliver high-value, specialised solutions tailored to local needs.

To begin with, the company has integrated expertise from two key businesses in India: Lubricant Additives (high-performance additives and additive systems, synthetic base fluids and ready-to-use lubricants) and Material Protection Products (antimicrobial, disinfection and preservation solutions). Going forward, the idea is to be present with all business units’ expertise at the IADC.

Namitesh Roy Choudhury, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Lanxess India, said, “By establishing the IADC, we are bringing our expertise closer to our Indian customers. This centre will not only support innovation but also strengthen our ability to address evolving market trends with speed and precision.”

For Lanxess India, the IADC aligns with its transformation journey towards a speciality chemicals company. The aim is to focus less on cyclical business areas and solutions for critical applications and move towards a partner for sustainable mobility or consumer protection. And the company sees India’s growing industrial base and expanding consumer markets as an ideal platform for driving such advancements.

SUPPORTING THE TYRE INDUSTRY

The production of the plain looking black tyre is more than just moulding of rubber; it is a complex process, which includes incorporating various raw materials and scientific steps to ensure that the tyres are built up to a particular specification. After all, tyres remain and are supposed to be the sole point of contact between a vehicle and the road when in motion.

Lanxess, for its part, supplies solutions across mixing, batch-off, extrusion & tread marking, tyre inspection & repair, tyre curing, green tyre spraying and tyre building processes.

According to the company, a durable car tyre is the result of a complex manufacturing process in which the tyre is built-up from various rubber compounds and reinforcing materials. It explains that by using rubber chemicals and various fillers, the raw material rubber is turned into a high-performance product. This is because rubber is soft and not very durable until vulcanisation. By selecting the type of rubber, the crosslinking chemicals and additives required for the desired technical properties of the end-product, high-performance products such as tyres and other rubber products are created.

EUROPEAN COMPANIES TO STEP OUT OF PETROCHEMICALS

The chemicals industry has undergone a sea of change, especially given the evolving trend from geography-focused development to globalisation. For the last few years, there has been a growing pressure, especially given the focus on sustainability.

To support the sustainability drive, the company recently introduced Vulkanox HS Scopeblue, a next-generation rubber additive designed to help tyre manufacturers produce more durable and environmentally friendly tyres. The anti–degradant effectively protects tyres from the damaging effects of oxygen and heat while offering reduced environmental impact. Its low volatility and minimal migration tendency further enhance tyre performance and longevity, making it an optimal solution for modern, eco-conscious manufacturing.

The company claims that the Vulkanox HS Scopeblue boasts a carbon footprint more than 30 percent lower than its conventionally produced counterpart thanks to the use of bio-circular acetone and renewable energy in its production process. It is being currently manufactured at an ISCC PLUS-certified plant in Germany; this mass-balanced additive retains the same chemical structure as the original product, allowing tyre manufacturers to adopt it seamlessly without altering their existing production processes.

Zachert further said, “Times lead to change. The industry dynamics of chemicals has been adjusting to change for the last decade and will continue to see changes for the next decades. If I look into the next 10 years of the chemical industry, my personal prognosis is that you will see that the European chemical companies will more and more step out of petrochemicals and go upstream. And this is happening as we speak. My thesis also is that the European industry will focus more on niche polymers and speciality chemicals. The upstream and volume polymers will go elsewhere, where you have the raw materials and cheap energy. Countries that are destined to dominate these kinds of chemicals over the next 10 years, is the Middle East and the United States. Europe used to be the epicentre of chemicals 20-30 years ago from polymers to chemicals to pharmaceuticals.”

Then there is the shift from global supply chain to more of regional supply chain given the geopolitical situation.

“I see that with the current world with geopolitical tensions, the likelihood is high that we will go back to trade zones. And therefore, the global value chain in chemicals is one where many companies will have to rethink the global approach and turn towards a more regional approach,” added Zachert.

ARLANXEO, one of the world's largest synthetic rubber producers and a wholly owned subsidiary of leading energy and chemicals producer Saudi Aramco, and TSRC have inaugurated their newly relocated and expanded joint venture NBR (nitrile-butadiene rubber) plant in Nantong, Jiangsu Province.

Stephan van Santbrink, CEO of ARLANXEO; Joseph Chai, CEO of TSRC and Chaoyang Jiang, Chairman of the ARLANXEO-TSRC joint venture, addressed the inauguration event. Customers, JV firm officials and senior leadership from ARLANXEO and TSRC also attended the ceremony. With a planned capacity expansion to 40,000 tonnes annually, the new facility produces a wider range of high-quality NBR products to meet China's long-term market demand development and fortify the worldwide NBR supply chain.

ARLANXEO-TSRC (Nantong) Chemical Industrial Co. Ltd. was founded in 2010 and is a 50:50 joint venture that is ultimately controlled by TSRC Corporation and ARLANXEO. In December 2021, ARLANXEO and TSRC announced that the joint venture company would be moving from the northern to the southern section of the Nantong Economy and Technology Development Area (NETDA) Chemical Park, Jiangsu Province, in order to support the government's agenda for environmental protection along the Yangtze River.

The new JV facility has continuously maintained high standards for safe operations with enhanced performance in resource efficiency, energy consumption and environmental protection since moving in and starting up. While continuing to produce Krynac and Taipol NBR products, the joint venture company has further enhanced its business competitiveness in response to the increasing demand for premium synthetic rubber by introducing Perbunan, a fast-cure NBR grade that is well-suited for specialised applications in automotive, aviation, oil and gas and food contact materials.

Stephan van Santbrink, CEO, ARLANXEO, said, "The new JV plant underscores our commitment to strategic growth in the China market and the sustainable development of the rubber industry. Built on a decade-long partnership and deep engineering expertise, this new JV plant strengthens our production capabilities, ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality NBR products to our customers.”

Joseph Chai, CEO, TSRC, said, “This project marks yet another successful collaboration with ARLANXEO to support the NBR customers. We remain confident in the long-term growth of the China chemical market and this new JV plant to capture new industry opportunities and deliver sustainable growth leveraging on ARLANXEO’s global leading position in NBR and the JV’s strong local operation.”

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has appointed Grégory Boucharlat as senior vice president of Global Commercial, the company announced today. In this newly created position, Boucharlat will join Goodyear’s senior leadership team, which will strategically coordinate the company’s worldwide commercial tyre business.

Boucharlat, who will report directly to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart, will continue to lead Goodyear’s Tires-as-a-Service (TaaS) organisation as part of his expanded responsibilities.

The appointment comes as part of the American tyre manufacturer’s efforts to create what it describes as “a unified and aligned global company” following its recent streamlining of operations, which included the sale of its off-the-road tyre business to Japan’s Yokohama Rubber earlier this year.

With more than thirty years at Goodyear, Boucharlat has built extensive experience in the company’s commercial tyre operations. He started in truck tyre sales before progressing through various leadership positions in Europe, including vice president of Commercial EU. His most recent role was vice president of TaaS, where he gained broader global commercial experience beyond the European market.

“Grégory brings to this new role proven abilities to drive innovation in our business and expand his leadership responsibility. He is well-positioned to have a fast start and ensure a seamless transition for our Commercial business,” said Stewart. “I have enormous confidence in his ability to lead our Commercial business on a global scale as our next step in creating a unified and aligned global company.”

The appointment takes effect immediately, with Boucharlat continuing to be based in Brussels, Belgium.

The move comes as Goodyear focuses on strengthening its commercial vehicle operations after divesting its mining and construction tyre division to Yokohama in a $919 million deal that closed in February 2025.

Pyrum Innovations AG, a technological pioneer in the field of pyrolysis, focusing on the recycling of end-of-life tyres and composite materials, has announced that football legend Felix Magath has joined the company as brand ambassador and investor with immediate effect.

Pascal Klein, CEO, Pyrum Innovations AG, said, “The fact that such a well-known personality as Felix Magath has chosen to actively support a young company like Pyrum is a great sign of confidence for us – and also a leap of faith. We hope that his charisma as a brand will help to bring our vision and technology closer to a broad public and decisively advance Pyrum.”

“I am convinced by the combination of technological pioneering spirit, entrepreneurial consistency and social relevance. I am looking forward to contributing my experience and my network to make Pyrum even better known – among investors, in industry and among political decision-makers. It is about making a real contribution to our country’s green tech offensive. We need companies like this to get back to the top of the world,” said Magath.

Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd., a leading Indian speciality chemicals manufacturer, is reinforcing its market position with significant expansions in carbon black production, a strategic entry into speciality tyre manufacturing, and ambitious diversification into EV battery materials.

The company reported robust financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2025, with profit after tax jumping 36 percent to INR 5.58 billion, setting the stage for its expansion plans.

In a major development for its core business, Himadri is expanding its speciality carbon black operations at Singur from 60,000 to 130,000 metric tonnes annually, with operations expected to begin by Q3 FY26. This expansion will boost total capacity to 250,000 metric tonnes, making it “the single largest site for speciality carbon black facility in the world," according to Managing Director Anurag Choudhary.

The INR 2.2 billion investment is projected to generate annual revenue of INR 4.4 billion, with impressive margins ranging from INR 20,000 to 50,000 per tonne, depending on grades. The expansion targets growing demand across specialty fibre blacks, conductive black, inks, plastics, coatings, and battery segments.

Unlike competitors facing market pressures, Himadri's strategic focus on specialty products has created resilience in its business model. “We are largely protected. Our very minimum volume goes to the tyre industry," Choudhary noted, with less than 25 per cent of its carbon black sales going to tyre manufacturers.

Following its acquisition of Birla Tyres alongside resolution applicant Dalmia Bharat Refractories, Himadri is strategically entering specialty tyre manufacturing. The company will focus on off-highway and electric vehicle segments, with operations beginning in phases starting from the end of Q1 FY26.

Initial production will be 10-20 tonnes, gradually increasing quarterly. Products initially include agricultural and mining tyres and bias tyres for commercial vehicles before expanding into passenger car radials and EV tyres. The company is currently awaiting Bureau of Indian Standards approval, which is expected within 30 days.

Himadri is also establishing a 200,000 metric tonne annual capacity plant for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode active material, with the initial 40,000 metric tonne capacity phase operational by Q3 FY27. "We’ll be the first manufacturing plant in the world other than China for electric commissioning,” Choudhary said.

The company aims to boost profit to over INR 8 billion ($96 million) by fiscal 2027, representing a 43 percent increase from current levels. “By FY ’27, we expect a PAT of 800-plus crores," said Choudhary. “Our PAT will be INR 8 billion-plus, so that lays down the road map for growth, and it will be coming from all around the business, from our existing business to the new businesses that we are entering and the capacities that are setting up."

Export sales accounted for 27 percent of total revenue in FY25, with carbon black exports representing 35-40 percent of that segment's sales. The company sees "very bright” export opportunities for its coal tar pitch business in Middle Eastern and Southeast Asia.

"Battery breakthroughs won't just come from one component, but from a holistic mastery of the ecosystem," Choudhary told analysts, highlighting the company's strategic push into clean energy materials amid booming electric vehicle adoption.