How the group is preparing for a gas supply stop

Dusseldorf Lanxess boss Matthias Zachert makes one thing clear: In his view, a gas supply stop from Russia would be a disaster for the German economy. The chemical industry would have to shut down its production of raw materials, and the supply chains in the processing industry would collapse. “I therefore very much hope that there will not be a gas embargo,” he says.

But as a prudent manager, Zachert has to prepare the Cologne-based specialty chemicals group for such a scenario. At the presentation of the quarterly figures on Thursday, the Lanxess boss gave an insight into what the group intends to do in the event of a supply stop of Russian gas – and where the limits are.

In the two months since the beginning of the war, the Lanxess crisis management team has developed a plan with those responsible in the large German production facilities. Most of the plants are located in Dormagen, Leverkusen and Krefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia. “In the event of a crisis, everyone now knows what needs to be done,” says Zachert.