(Lanxess) -- German specialty chemicals company LANXESS and South Korea's tier-one automotive supplier, Hwaseung Corporation, have further strengthened their business partnership. Both companies have signed a long-term agreement under which LANXESS will supply Hwaseung with premium EPDM rubber. Financial details were not disclosed. Furthermore, both companies will deepen their research and development efforts on specialty rubber applications.
An agreement was signed at LANXESS' ⌠Rubber Day Korea in Jeju by Guenther Weymans, Global Head of LANXESS' Technical Rubber Products business unit, and Yoohwi Choi, Senior Vice President of Hwaseung Networks - a subsidiary of Hwaseung Corporation.
⌠This new agreement will further strengthen the already successful partnership between Hwaseung and LANXESS, said Weymans. ⌠It is also another milestone in the successful integration of the recently-acquired EPDM business.
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) synthetic rubber, sold under the brand name Keltan, is used above all in the automobile industry for door sealants. It is also used in the plastics modification, cable and wire, construction and oil additives industries. Its properties include very low density, good resistance to heat, oxidation, chemicals and weathering as well as good electrical insulation properties.
Hwaseung Corporation is a leading supplier of rubber components and other materials to global automobile producers, including the Korean manufactures Hyundai and Kia. South Korea is already one of the top five automobile producers in the world.