RAG Subsidiary Degussa Expands Production of High-Performance Rigid Foam to North America

The new plant by the world's leading specialty chemicals company comprises an investment volume of about US$10 million and is scheduled to commence operation in mid-2008.

Dr. Joachim Leluschko, president of the High Performance Polymers Business Unit: “Composites are an attractive global growth market. By expanding our production to North America, we're meeting the growing demand worldwide for ROHACELL® core materials for technical sandwich construction.”

Inspec Foams, Inc., of Allen, Texas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Degussa, will manufacture ROHACELL® in Mobile to the same high standard of quality as in Degussa's first and, until now, only plant in Darmstadt. The construction of local ROHACELL® production facilities will considerably reduce lead times on the North American continent, and further enhance technical customer service.

ROHACELL® is a product of Degussa's High Performance Polymers Business Unit. With 1040 employees the business unit generated sales of €422 million in 2006.

Outstanding mechanical and thermal properties

The polymethacrylimide rigid foam ROHACELL® is used as a core material in “sandwich constructions” – a technique that bonds the foam between two cover skins made of high-tenacity plastics, which are reinforced by carbon or glass fibers. The result: extremely rigid and lightweight molded articles capable of withstanding extreme stresses. Of all foams on the market, ROHACELL® has the best ratio of weight to mechanical properties and the highest thermostability.

This makes ROHACELL® an ideal light-weight material for the aerospace industry. It is used, for example, in the new Airbus A 380, or in helicopter rotor blades. In addition, in this year's biathlon championships in Antholz, Italy, many top athletes such as world champions Björndalen and Greis relied on skis that incorporated high-end sandwich cores made from ROHACELL®.

Degussa – a wholly owned subsidiary of the RAG Group – is the global market leader in specialty chemicals. Our business is creating essentials – innovative products and system solutions that make indispensable contributions to our customers’ success. In fiscal 2006 around 36,000 employees worldwide generated sales of 10.9 billion euros and operating profits (EBIT) of more than 870 million euros.