Bayer MaterialScience receives the "Global Innovation Leader - 2007" award

New Delhi: The Optical Media Global Industry Awards (OMGIA) has awarded Bayer MaterialScience AG the ''Global Innovation Leader'' award for the development of its high-tech polycarbonate, makrolon.

Dr Guenter Hilken, member of the executive committee and head, business unit polycarbonates, Bayer MaterialScience, received the award on behalf of the company from Deepak Puri, chairman and managing director, Moser Baer India Limited, representing the optical media industry and Anil Chopra, President, OMGIA and editor of ODS! magazine, a leading global optical media manufacturing industry.

Previous recipients of the award have included Shuji Nakamura for the invention of the blue laser diode.

Discovered more than 50 years ago, this engineering plastic, makrolon polycarbonate, has a wide range of applications, and over the years, has been used on optical data carriers such as CDs and DVDs as the substratel, which enables the laser to read the digital code of a CD. Bayer says makrolon CDs do not go out of shape and are unaffected by extreme temperature and humidity fluctuations.

Dr Guenter Hilken said, "Bayer has been an inventor company since it was founded and we intend to continue in this spirit of innovation at Bayer MaterialScience also. Our polycarbonate material makrolon and its versatile applications are just one expression of this commitment."

Bayer MaterialScience AG has been increasing polycarbonate production around the world to keep up with the demand for the product; in 2006, the company produced 1.2 million tons of makrolon, making it the largest polycarbonate producer worldwide.

The company says it plans to invest around €80 million to build additional compounding plants in China and India. In 2006, polycarbonates sales rose above all in the Asia-Pacific and Europe regions, contributing to the positive sales performance of Bayer MaterialScience AG in the past year.

With 2006 sales of €10.2 billion, Bayer MaterialScience AG is among the world's largest polymer companies for automotive, electrical and electronics, construction and the sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2006, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites.