Performance Chemicals

audited
  • Sales down 8% to €3,805 million, mainly due to lower prices and divestitures
  • EBIT before special items rise slightly, mostly through reduction in fixed costs

In the Performance Chemicals division, sales to third parties fell by €316 million to €3,805 million compared with 2015. This was largely the result of the lower sales prices brought about by a sharp drop in raw material prices, as well as the sale of the paper hydrous kaolin activities and the textile chemicals business. Negative currency effects additionally weighed down sales. We were able to raise our volumes overall, with growth impetus coming particularly from the plastic additives business and from the region Europe. Demand for oilfield and mining chemicals declined, however, in an environment fraught with lower oil and raw material prices.

Performance Chemicals – Factors influencing sales
Performance Products – Chemicals – Factors influencing sales (bar chart)
Performance Chemicals – Sales by region
(Location of customer)
Performance Products – Performance Chemicals – Sales by region (pie chart)

We achieved a slight rise in EBIT before special items compared with the previous year. This was mainly due to lower fixed costs resulting from restructuring measures and strict cost discipline. Special charges arose partly on account of these restructuring measures.

At the Bradford, England, site, in 2016 we started up a world-scale bio-acrylamide production plant employing a new enzymatic catalysis process. This will strengthen our polymer production network and increase our competitiveness.