It was only mid-November when Bayer AG announced it was purchasing Monsanto Co.'s styrenics thermoplastics business for $580 million, but executives are telling automotive customers not to worry about disruptions or any negative effects in order-handling. "What they should observe are positive effects. We think we will service customers much better," says one high-level Bayer executive. Bayer gets a number of key auto-related plastics in the deal, including Monsanto's Lustran ABS and SAN resins, Triax alloys and Centrex weatherable polymers, which are gaining favor in unpainted exterior part applications. Bayer also is acquiring Monsanto's coveted "continuous mass" resin production technology.
