A century of synthetic rubber's contributions to industries

The crucial role of synthetic rubber in today's industries deserve special attention and this was the consensus among those who attended the Scientific Colloquium sponsored by LANXESS AG 12 September 2009 in Cologne, Germany. This event brought together leading scientists and industry experts to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the invention of synthetic rubber by Fritz Hofmann, a chemist. The foundation stone for synthetic rubber was laid in 1909 by Hofmann when he discovered the elastic material methyl isoprene. On 12 September of the same year, the Imperial Patents Office granted Hofmann's employer, the Elberfelder Farbenfabriken, a patent with the number 250690 for the "process for the manufacture of synthetic rubber." Over 400 guests from 18 countries attended the colloquium where technical papers were presented by 14 high-profile speakers from the worlds of politics, business and science on the latest innovations, the future possibilities and market potential of synthetic rubber material. Discussions were conducted on how the successes of the past can be transferred to the future, what importance rubber has today as a precursor to other industrial applications and what development and production potential can be harnessed in the future. In his welcome speech, Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG, said that "the discovery of synthetic rubber laid down the foundation for LANXESS?core business and the company is continuing the legacy of Fritz Hoffman." He went on to say there is a good reason to celebrate this centenary as that no one could have predicted that the product would still be so successful 100 years later and a great many products have evolved from synthetic rubber . "We are building on the versatility and outstanding chemical properties of this material because we know that the future of synthetic rubber has only just begun." This synthetic material, Heitmann said, had opened the door to numerous innovations in previous decades ?in automotive engineering, energy generation, medicine, sports, and even the aerospace industry. There is no doubt, he added, that synthetic rubber is the most important product for LANXESS today. Minister for Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Andreas Pinkwart stressed that "rubber has such an important future because companies like LANXESS have succeeded time and again in modernizing it," referring to the efforts of LANXESS in creating new rubber materials for advanced applications. To secure its future, he said, clever minds are needed. "And education is nothing other than converting money into knowledge." Administrative Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology Jochen Homann encouraged LANXESS to further expand its research and development activities to strengthen Germany as a location for industry. There is probably no other country, he said, in which the prosperity of society is so dependent on industry as it is in Germany. Ulrich Lehner, President of Germany's Chemical Industry Association (VCI), recognized the outstanding development potential for synthetic rubber and its applications in his speech. "Synthetic rubber is an excellent example of how chemistry can help change people's lives." Lehner stressed the importance of the chemical industry saying that the relations between chemical companies and their customers and suppliers in the value chains have considerably intensified during the last years. He also cited the benefits of the creation of chemical parks in Germany which enables close cooperation and shared resource use. Overall sales of the German chemical industry amounted to almost 180 billion euros last year making the German chemical industry the no. 1 in Europe, and with a share of around 7% worldwide, and no. 4 behind theNIKE AIR MAX