Atlas Refinery, USA, supplier of fatliquors to the leather industry and LANXESS have formed a strategic alliance primarily in the field of leather chemicals with effect from July 2005. LANXESS will distribute Atlas’ products to the leather industry and provide technical service. Atlas will be responsible for the manufacturing of fatliquors and the innovation process in this field. The two companies have agreed to jointly develop new products.
The alliance partners expect the synergies created by this unique strategic partnership to provide an unrivalled level of added value to their customers. ‘With this latest development we have not only completed our global product portfolio but also strengthened it, enabling us to fully meet the needs of both our existing and potential customers’, said Dr Bernhard Wehling, senior vice president for leather business at LANXESS.
‘The global economy has changed the face of competition and created unique opportunities for companies to form strategic partnerships that draw on their complementary strengths to better service their market. This alliance will enable Atlas to support the LANXESS global sales and marketing team while developing and producing the highest quality and innovative fatliquor products available to the leather industry’, said Steven B Schroeder, president of Atlas Refinery.
‘As the 5th generation Schroeder to enter Atlas, I am confident that we will not only be able to maintain but enhance our status as one of the premier fatliquor suppliers to the industry for years to come’ added Steven B Schroeder junior, vice president of business development at Atlas.
Since 1997 LANXESS have been involved in various strategic alliances, successfully co-operating with Rohm and Haas in the field of acrylics. More recently, LANXESS have established an alliance with SETA in the field of vegetable tanning. ‘Our experience has shown’, Dr Wehling stated ‘this type of distributorship works excellently for all parties involved and is well accepted and highly appreciated by all our customers around the world which will now stand to benefit even further. We are convinced, that Atlas is the right partner for such an alliance. Together we will continue to increase our presence and competence in the special field of fatliquors and now at a higher pace.’
