Leverkusen - – LANXESS has concluded sales agreements for Velcorin® in South America and Scandinavia. Döhler América Latina Ltda in Limeira, Brazil, will take over sales activities and technical support for the LANXESS beverage stabilizer in South America with immediate effect. In South America, Velcorin®, which has recently also been licensed in Mercosur (Mercado Común del Sur), will be sold in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia in particular.

The Döhler Group is one of the leading suppliers of raw materials and flavorings for the beverage industry in the Latin American region. For Ingo Broda, head of Beverage Technologies in the Material Protection Products business unit at LANXESS, the signing of the agreement marks a further milestone in the rigorous implementation of the Velcorin® marketing strategy: "With our successful registration in Mercosur, the whole South America region is now accessible. Considering the way demand and business is developing, we can see good opportunities for growth in this region. With its extensive expertise and resources Döhler is an ideal sales partner to support us in the fields of marketing and customer care."

Martin Tolksdorf, Managing Director of Döhler América Latina, says: “The collaboration with LANXESS represents an ideal addition in our range of services for the beverage industry. We can use our collective experience and help beverage manufacturers to access innovative products and concepts which they have been unable to consider up to now using conventional stabilization methods."

At the same time, a sales agreement for Velcorin® was signed for Scandinavia with the company R&M E.M.S. GmbH Engineering Maintenance Services in Cloppenburg. The subsidiary company of Reinhold & Mahla AG includes among its customers companies from the chemical industry, as well as from the food and beverage industry. “That was the last piece of the puzzle. Now, in addition to South America, the continent of Europe is also covered completely with a service network for Velcorin®. And as our stabilizer is now produced on two sites, we can ensure that the demand of both our regular customers and potential new customers can be covered on a worldwide basis, in line with our expectations," remarks Broda.

Velcorin® protects alcohol-free refreshments and wine very effectively against damaging micro-organisms, without affecting the taste, aroma or color of the drink. The LANXESS stabilizer is added to the finished beverage directly before filling. It immediately performs its disinfectant function and then degrades into tiny amounts of methanol and carbon dioxide, which are natural components of fruit juices and fruit juice-based drinks.

The Material Protection Products business unit, one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of biocidal active ingredients and formulations for wood protection, industrial applications, disinfection and preservation, is part of the Performance Chemicals segment. This segment achieved sales of EUR 1.977 billion in fiscal 2005.