Moscow/Leverkusen - The LANXESS Young Euro Classic Concert Russia today marks the official start of Germany Year in Russia 2012/2013: Initiated by specialty chemicals group LANXESS, the Young Euro Classic Orchestra is performing for some 1,800 high-ranking guests from both countries, including German Minister of State Cornelia Pieper, at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Comprising 76 highly talented music students from Berlin University of the Arts and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the orchestra was established specifically for this kick-off event. The program encompasses works by Shostakovich, Bach, Beethoven and Schnittke, who reflect the influence of the two countries on one another throughout the course of their history.

"We are very pleased to contribute to an artistically sophisticated opening for Germany Year in Russia with this special concert," says Werner Breuers, member of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG. "At the same time, we're giving young people the opportunity for a cultural exchange, because when people of different backgrounds meet, it often leads to top performances, in music as well as in business."

Under the theme "Germany and Russia: shaping the future together," Germany is mounting an information campaign throughout Russia from June 2012 to June 2013 involving a broad range of projects in the areas of politics, business, culture and education/research. The projects are sponsored by the German Foreign Ministry, the Goethe Institute and the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, with support from the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Commerce (Deutsch-Russischer Auslandshandelskammer).

Chemistry shaping the future
Apart from the official opening concert, LANXESS will be participating in Germany Year in Russia with another event: together with the Russian Academy of Sciences, the specialty chemicals company is inviting distinguished researchers from Russia and Germany to a symposium on "Chemistry Shaping the Future" on November 8, 2012. In plenary lectures and discussion groups, natural scientists such as Prof. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, President of the Fraunhofer Society, and Prof. Joachim Sauer of Humboldt University in Berlin will talk about chemical research and the possibilities it offers for overcoming global challenges.

"The two events we are organizing during Germany Year in Russia 2012/2013 underline our ties to Russia," says Werner Breuers, explaining LANXESS's activities. "Russia and the CIS are key growth markets for us as part of our strategic focus on the BRICS countries."

Since 2009, LANXESS has steered its business in Russia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) through its own sales subsidiary OOO LANXESS based in Moscow. Its target markets here include the automotive and tire industries, and the construction sector. During this time, business has developed strongly: LANXESS generated record sales in Russia in 2011 amounting to some EUR 67 million, nearly triple the amount in 2009. The first quarter of 2012 saw a continuation of this positive trend, with an increase in sales of over 30 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. This is mainly due to the continued high demand for high-performance rubber products for tires and technical applications.

At its site in Lipezk, LANXESS subsidiary Rhein Chemie is building a plant for the production of rubber additives and release agents primarily for the automotive and tire industries in Russia and CIS. Operations are scheduled to start in the first half of 2013. A production facility for bladders used in tire production is to be added in 2016. The total investment amounts to some EUR 5 million, and the new plant will create 40 new jobs in the medium term.