pigments and filling materials, and enable them to func-
tion better, for example in coatings and plastics. With the
help of defoamers and air-release additives, foaming is
prevented during the manufacture of coatings and paints as
well as in end customers’ applications. Surface additives
are used to produce special properties such as shiny, matte or
especially smooth surfaces. Rheology additives improve,
for example, the flow behavior of coatings and plastics. The
division also manufactures measuring and testing instruments
that are used to determine surface properties, color
shades, and optical effects.
BYK-Chemie GmbH, based in Wesel, is the management
company of the division. In addition, it is the division’s
biggest production and development site for additives and
the ALTANA Group company with the highest sales. BYK also
produces at other sites in Germany, the Netherlands, Great
Britain, as well as in China and the U.S. All of the measuring
and testing instruments are manufactured at a site in
southern Germany (Geretsried).
The division sells its products primarily under the brands
BYK (additives) and BYK-Gardner (instruments). Due to its
comprehensive portfolio, BYK is a system supplier and part-
ner of coatings manufacturers and plastics processors in particular.
On the basis of its great problem-solving expertise,
BYK has also attained an important market position in many
other industrial application fields in recent years.
The division markets its products in the important regions
via its own companies and branches. In addition, a
dense network of dealers and agents markets its products
worldwide. BYK generates the highest share of its sales
in Europe, followed by Asia and the Americas. In terms of
countries, the U.S. makes the largest contribution to sales,
followed by China and Germany.
BYK continually expands and supplements its product
portfolio. To gear its innovation activities closely to the
needs of the markets, the division has its own network of
development laboratories, which cooperate closely with
customers in the respective regions. At the same time, new
Business divisions and areas of application
Paint Additives Coatings Wire Enamels Flexible Packaging
Plastics Additives Graphic Arts Electrical Metal Packaging Solutions
Industrial Applications Cosmetics and Personal Care Electronic Paper & Board
Measuring and Testing Instruments Plastics Industry Engineering Materials
Functional Applications
46 Group Basics