LANXESS and Saudi Aramco rubber joint venture to be launched on April 1, 2016, under the name ARLANXEO

·	Relevant antitrust authorities have cleared the transaction
·	Transaction can already be completed on April 1, 2016
·	LANXESS CEO Matthias Zachert: “ARLANXEO will be a strong company of two strong partners”

Cologne – Specialty chemicals company LANXESS and Saudi Aramco have announced ARLANXEO, the name of their new joint venture for synthetic rubber. The new name and logo combines elements from the names and logos of both partners. The logo is complemented by the descriptor “Performance Elastomers” to highlight the new company’s product range. 

All relevant antitrust authorities have cleared the transaction. Hence, the joint venture will be launched as ARLANXEO on April 1, 2016.

“ARLANXEO will be a strong company of two strong partners. This is also reflected in the new name of the company,” said Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG and future Chairman of the Shareholders’ Committee of ARLANXEO. “We will establish ARLANXEO as a new and independent player in the global market for synthetic rubber. And we are convinced that, in the world of rubber, ARLANXEO will become a strong brand.”

“Under its new name, ARLANXEO will build on the customer focus, recognition and reputation of both Saudi Aramco and LANXESS, which both partners are very proud of,” said Abdulrahman Al-Wuhaib, Senior Vice President Downstream, Saudi Aramco.

On September 22, 2015, LANXESS and Saudi Aramco signed an agreement to create a 50:50 joint venture for the development, production, marketing, sale and distribution of synthetic rubber used in the global tire industry, auto-parts manufacturing and a wide range of other applications. 

ARLANXEO will be headquartered in the Netherlands. The partners will soon appoint the management team that will run the joint venture. Each partner will have equal representation on the boards overseeing the company. The CEO will be appointed by LANXESS and the CFO by Saudi Aramco.

“With this joint venture of the world’s largest producer of synthetic rubber and the world’s largest integrated energy company, we have laid the foundations for the sustainable and positive development of ARLANXEO,” said Zachert. “This is a win-win for our customers as well as for the employees of ARLANXEO. We are looking forward to the launch of this promising new partnership.”

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.0 billion in 2014 and about 16,300 employees in 29 countries. The company is currently represented at 52 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World) and FTSE4Good.

Information on Saudi Aramco is available at www.saudiaramco.com.

Cologne, 	February 10, 2016
dae		(2016-00011e)

Forward-Looking Statements.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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