Bayer MaterialScience (BMS, Leverkusen / Germany; www.bayerbms.com) and Michel Baulé (Romans sur Isère / Frankreich; www.baule.com) have agreed to merge their PU cast elastomers businesses into a 50:50 joint venture to be called Baulé and headquartered at Romans. The jv, still awaiting regulatory approval, will develop, produce and market pre-polymer systems for hot- and cold-cast elastomers, along with the related low-pressure dispensing equipment, at sites in France, Germany, the UK, the US and China.

Michel Baulé, who currently heads the French group with 2007 sales of just under EUR 80m (some 80% is exported) and 400 employees, will be managing director of the new partnership with Bayer. Part of the Baulé group is Exsto (Romans sur Isère; www.exsto.com). With annual sales of EUR 25m and 180 employees, this company is engaged in the market for large semi-finished and finished products of PU cold-cast elastomers, thermoplastics and composites, produced mainly for the French market.