The anticipated growth in the automotive and thus in the rubber markets will benefit both Petroflex and LANXESS. Petroflex, a formerly state-owned Brazilian enterprise that was established as a private company in 1977, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of synthetic rubber. The company’s approximately 1,300 employees generated revenues of around €535 million in 2007.

The Petroflex product range includes more than 80 different varieties of rubber. While most of this rubber is used for tire production, Petroflex elastomeric compounds can also be found in everyday items such as chewing gum, shoes, and latex mattresses. The company currently has three production locations: Cabo in northeastern Brazil, in Duque de Caxias (near Rio de Janeiro), and in Triunfo, a city in Brazil’s southernmost region. The corporate headquarters are in Rio.