Dispersions & Pigments Sales 2% below the prior-year figure at €5,292 million, largely from negative currency effects Considerable decline in EBIT before special items, primarily as a result of lower margins and higher fixed costs Sales to third parties in the Dispersions & Pigments division amounted to €5,292 million, €106 million below the prior-year level. This was mainly due to negative currency effects in almost all regions. Sales were also reduced by the divestiture of the production site for styrene butadiene-based paper dispersions in Pischelsdorf, Austria. The slight increase in prices, especially in the dispersions and resins businesses, was unable to compensate for this. Volumes were on a level with the prior year. Higher sales volumes in the dispersions business in Europe and North America as well as in the electronic materials business were offset by lower volumes in the additives and pigments businesses as a result of stronger competition and in the resins business due to raw materials shortages. Dispersions & Pigments – Factors influencing sales Dispersions & Pigments – Sales by region Location of customer EBIT before special items declined considerably compared with 2017. This was mainly due to lower margins as a result of the increase in raw materials prices, negative currency effects and higher fixed costs. In 2017, fixed costs were partly offset by an insurance refund; in 2018, additional fixed costs arose in connection with new production facilities in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and a new electronic materials plant in Yeosu, South Korea. back next