For many years, the name Bayer has stood for expertise with responsibility. This corporate slogan also stands for systematic implementation of sustainable development through growth and innovation.

Our business is based on four pillars: the Health Care, Agriculture, Polymers and Chemicals business segments. The Health Care business segment comprises three business groups: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Care and Diagnostics. Pharmaceuticals develops and markets prescription medicines to treat cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, diseases of the central nervous system, respiratory diseases and disorders of the immune system. The Consumer Care Business Group, which is headquartered in the United States, is one of the world's foremost suppliers of over-the-counter medicines such as Bayer Aspirin® and household insecticides. Our Diagnostics Business Group, which is also headquartered in the United States, ranks among the leading global suppliers of diagnostic systems for blood gas and critical care analysis, diabetes, hematology, urine chemistry, immunology and clinical chemistry and is active in the field of nucleic acid diagnostics.

In the Agriculture business segment our Crop Protection and Animal Health business groups develop and manufacture innovative crop protection products for sustainable farming and products for the health and general care of livestock and pets. Provided the antitrust authorithies give their agreement, the acquisition of Aventis CropScience will enable Bayer to considerably expand its crop protection business and become one of the leading crop protection and biotechnology groups.

The Polymers business segment is divided into four business groups: Plastics, Rubber, Polyurethanes and Coatings and Colorants. The Plastics Business Group produces well-known engineering thermoplastics such as Makrolon®, Novodur® and Durethan®, which are used in virtually all automobiles. The Rubber Business Group is a leading producer of raw materials and a major partner for the rubber and tire industry. The Polyurethanes Business Group is the world's biggest supplier of polyurethane starting products and systems, while the Coatings and Colorants Business Group focuses on all raw materials used in coatings, sealants and adhesives and on colorants for plastics and construction materials.

The Chemicals business segment comprises the Basic and Fine Chemicals Business Group and the Specialty Products Business Group. It also includes the subsidiaries Haarmann & Reimer, H.C. Starck and Wolff Walsrode. Basic and Fine Chemicals is one of the world's top chemicals producers. Fine chemicals play a key role as precursors for pharmaceuticals, crop protection products, plastics and electronics components. The Specialty Products Business Group markets a full range of products for the paper and leather industries, plus textile processing chemicals and fluorescent whiteners, special colorants for the chemical industry and specialty chemicals. Haarmann & Reimer is the world's fifth largest producer of flavors and fragrances, H. C. Starck manufactures metallic and ceramic powders for the metal-working, optical, electronics and chemical industries and Wolff Walsrode is our competence center for cellulose chemistry.

Driving growth: research and development
To ensure a further sustainable increase in the value of the company through growth and innovation, we invested a record level of  € 6.8 billion in property, plant and equipment and acquisitions in 2000. Our R&D expenses rose six percent to € 2.4 billion. This is because we are stepping up our focus on innovation. We have 12,000 R&D employees at more than 25 sites worldwide. The aim is to develop products that minimize the use of resources and environmental impact and at the same time make a sustainable contribution to improving the quality of life.

Subgroups

Makrolon®

Haarmann & Reimer

H.C. Starck

Wolff Walsrode


 

Products developed in our R&D labs in the past ten years account for about 40 percent of sales.