Due to the approach of Hurricane "Rita", chemicals company LANXESS has evacuated employees from its sites at Orange and Baytown, Texas. Production has been temporarily shut down as a precautionary measure, with all plants in a safe condition. The company took this action to protect its approximately 300 employees at these sites even before an evacuation was ordered by the authorities. LANXESS’s local crisis management team is currently monitoring the situation. All necessary precautions have been taken to safeguard the environment in the event of flooding. It is planned to restart production as soon as the danger has passed.

At Orange, LANXESS manufactures various grades of polybutadiene rubber, while at Baytown the company produces maleic anhydride, a basic chemical. LANXESS employs a total of about 2,100 people in the United States. Its U.S. sales in 2004 totaled EUR 1.3 billion.