COLOGNE, Germany – Specialty chemicals group LANXESS has confirmed its preliminary figures for fiscal 2013, published on February 26, 2014. The company reports sales fell by nine percent against the prior year to €8.3 billion, primarily due to lower selling prices in the Performance Polymers segment resulting from declining raw material prices and the challenging competitive situation.
In the fourth quarter of 2013, group net income was impacted by impairment charges of €257 million in the Performance Polymers segment (the Keltan Elastomers and High Performance Elastomers business units) and the Performance Chemicals segment (the Rubber Chemicals business unit), as well as by exceptional charges of some €30 million for the company’s “Advance” efficiency program. These resulted in a net loss for the full year of €159 million, representing earnings per share of minus €1.91. In 2012, group net income amounted to €508 million, with earnings per share of €6.11.