Bayer MaterialScience sells Thermoplastics Testing Center to Underwriters Laboratories

Leverkusen / Northbrook – Bayer MaterialScience AG has signed a contract for the sale of its Thermoplastics Testing Center (TTC) to Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), Northbrook, IL, United States. The sale of the accredited test center underscores Bayer MaterialScience’s focus on the development of high-tech materials for innovative applications. The transaction should be completed during the second quarter of this year. Financial details have not been disclosed.

“The TTC provides outstanding services in the field of materials testing. The acquisition by Underwriters Laboratories provides us with a partner who will very effectively support the work of Bayer MaterialScience in the future,” says Dr. Günter Hilken, head of the Polycarbonates Business Unit and a member of the Executive Committee of Bayer MaterialScience. “At the same time we will be focusing even more on developing innovative materials for growth markets and providing our customers with intelligent solutions.” With its capacity to carry out more than 200 different testing procedures – primarily for thermoplastics – the TTC, which is based in CHEMPARK Krefeld-Uerdingen, is one of the leading testing and certification institutes in Europe.

The sale of the company with its extensive range of services also represents an important milestone for the TTC in terms of expanding its testing activities. It employs 65 people, all of whom will be taken on by Underwriters Laboratories. The TTC will extend UL’s portfolio of testing and certification service offerings. After the acquisition is complete, UL International TTC GmbH will operate as a subsidiary of UL International Germany GmbH, Neu-Isenburg. UL is a leading global conformity assessment, safety certification and testing organization. It is actively seeking opportunities to increase its market share, support its customers in securing international approval for their products and expand its public safety mission with the global introduction of product standards.

About Bayer MaterialScience:
With 2008 sales of EUR 9.7 billion, Bayer MaterialScience is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, and sports and leisure industries. At the end of 2008, Bayer MaterialScience had 30 production sites and employed approximately 15,100 people around the globe. Bayer MaterialScience is a Bayer Group company.

About Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems annually with 20 billion UL Marks appearing on 72,000 manufacturers’ products each year. UL’s worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 64 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 98 countries.

More information can be found under www.bayermaterialscience.com, www.UL.com/newsroom and www.ttc.bayermaterialscience.com.

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