Shanghai, 19th April, 2010 – Bayer MaterialScience will focus on the global megatrends shaping the future at the Chinaplas event held from April 19 – 22, 2010 in Shanghai. From globalization, to urbanization, to demographic and climate change, these are just some of the megatrends that are transforming our world.  At the exhibition, Bayer MaterialScience will emphasize four areas that will play a critical role in helping to address these megatrends and contribute to a more sustainable future in China and across the globe: lightweight mobility, sustainability, smart technologies and future living.

Dr. Rainer Rettig, Senior Vice President of the Polycarbonate Advanced Resins Division in Asia Pacific said, “Bayer MaterialScience is committed to developing solutions designed to meet the key challenges and megatrends that are shaping the future for both China and the world. We are working in close partnership with customers in China across a variety of industries – from transportation to construction to consumer electronics – to help them develop more innovative and environmentally conscious products, which in turn will contribute to a more sustainable future. Chinaplas is the perfect platform for us to showcase these innovations and allows us to demonstrate how we bring our vision of ‘Science for a Better Life’ to life.”

Driving Innovation for a More Sustainable Automotive Industry

In 2009, China surpassed the United States as the world’s largest automotive market and continues to be the driver of growth for the global industry. With millions of additional combustion engine vehicles on the road each year, more CO² is emitted, which contributes to air pollution and global warming.  The need for smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles will be central to helping to address this challenge. On display at the Bayer MaterialScience booth was one example of such a vehicle, the i-mode concept car. 

Developed in close collaboration with Hyundai, the i-mode is an innovative example of Bayer MaterialScience’s high-performance polycarbonate solutions put into action, representing the future in automotive design.  From leveraging Bayer MaterialScience’s know-how in plastics to automotive glazing, the i-mode is a model example of the role of polycarbonate solutions in contributing to lightweight mobility, sustainability, smart technologies and future living.

Using Bayer MaterialScience’s Makrolon® polycarbonate instead of traditional glass for example, provided a 50 percent reduction in weight, contributing to dramatic energy savings required to power the vehicle, which for a combustion powered engine, in turn, significantly cuts down on CO² emissions. Such reductions in weight will also play a crucial role in enabling the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles, as the added weight of batteries requires the same weight equivalent be taken out of the chassis, to avoid degradation of vehicle efficiency or performance.

Another innovation of the i-mode is the use of Bayer MaterialSciences’ Makrolon® polycarbonate in place of traditional glass. A unique design element of the concept car is its wrap-around visibility provided for the driver and occupants of the vehicle. This not only creates a more elegant design aesthetic, but also delivers significant improvements in driver visibility, allowing for safer driving, particularly on traffic-congested urban roads. Prominent Bayer MaterialScience produced features include the panoramic roof, front and rear windscreens and side windows. Using Bayer Makrolon® polycarbonate allowed for a design freedom that would not have been possible with traditional glass.

LED Shines Light on Role of Polycarbonates

Lighting currently accounts for roughly 10 – 13 percent of China’s total electricity consumption. Converting to more energy efficient solutions – such as LEDs – can contribute to dramatic reductions in electricity use, which in turn can further cut electricity demand which is typically provided from coal-fired power plants, which emit CO² contributing to climate change.

LED technology has become increasingly popular in China as a more energy-efficient and longer-lasting alternative to conventional bulbs in outdoor applications such as street lighting and building façade illumination.

Bayer MaterialScience’s polycarbonate solutions are enabling LED lens designs that are optimized for light transmission and overall illumination, reducing the intensity of light required, and in turn, the amount of electricity consumed.  With China’s rapid construction and ongoing development, energy-efficient solutions such as LED streetlights will play an increasingly significant role in reducing the nation’s energy requirements and contribute to a more sustainable future.

Solutions Focused on Chinese Customer Needs

Bayer’s third largest market globally, Bayer MaterialScience continues to invest in the development of customer-oriented solutions for the China market.

As China increases its focus on green building design, Bayer MaterialScience will showcase polycarbonate applications that contribute to significantly increasing the
insulation properties and overall energy efficiency of buildings.  Another area of increasing interest is integrating more sustainable materials into everyday product development. Bayer MaterialScience will have on display a collection of biodegradable polycarbonate resins, allowing Bayer customers to develop more environmentally friendly products, without sacrificing any polycarbonate performance. 

Furthermore, later this week Bayer MaterialScience will announce a partnership with Tongji University. In addition to sharing technical knowledge and contributing to the development of China’s future automotive engineers, the partnership will also work closely with private industry in China, fostering collaboration and innovations in sustainable automotive design.

This announcement comes on the heels of a major inauguration in late 2009, with Bayer opening an advanced Color Competence and Design Center (CCDC) in Guangzhou. The Center allows for Chinese customers to receive tailored products and solutions for polycarbonate compounds, ranging from color matching and small-scale production, to a broad range of technical services to support injection-molding and compounding processes.