With immediate effect, Michael Ertl takes over as head of the inorganic pigments business unit at German specialities chemicals group Lanxess (Cologne; www.lanxess.com). He succeeds Holger Hüppeler, who is to run the newly established segment for flavours and fragrances following the acquisition of Emerald Kalama Chemical (see Plasteurope.com of 05.08.2021).

Ertl studied process engineering and has headed the business for benzyl products and inorganic acids within the advanced industrial intermediates at Lanxess since 2015. The inorganic pigments unit is also part of advanced intermediates, which posted sales of around EUR 2 bn in 2020. Lanxess does not provide figures on volumes or sales for individual units.

The company’s biggest inorganic pigments site is in Krefeld-Uerdingen / Germany. The unit also has facilities in Porto Feliz / Brazil, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania / USA, Branston / UK, Vilassar de Mar / Spain, Sydney / Australia and Ningbo, Zhejiang / China. Lanxess regards itself as the world’s leading producer of iron oxide and chrome oxide pigments.

At the beginning of the year, the group hiked its prices for pigments: iron oxide pigments went up EUR 110/t and chrome oxide pigments increased by EUR 220/t (see Plasteurope.com of 08.02.2021).