"We really want to take-off now"

The idyllic location between meadows and fields is deceptive: behind the factory gate, Theseo in Wietmarschen is a truly global player. The 40 people who work here are a market leader in disinfection and animal hygiene products - and have been strengthening the Group's biosecurity business since its acquisition by LANXESS. Let's have a look around the site in Wietmarschen, Germany.

Mr. Rensing, you are the plant manager and have been at the site for almost eleven years. How did the employees react to the news of the takeover? And what is the current mood of the team?

Thomas Rensing: There is a sense of optimism - but in a positive sense. We have already gained experience in dealing with a takeover in the past and have gone through many changes. What's clearly different this time is that we all have the feeling that something really new is coming. The optimistic mood is definitely due to the open and very cooperative communication that LANXESS has placed great emphasis on right from the start. The rumbling in our stomachs quickly disappeared.

Mr. Jurgeleit, you are responsible for marketing at Theseo Germany. How did your customers react when it became clear that you would be joining LANXESS?

Marcus Jurgeleit: So far, we have received positive feedback throughout - especially from our customers in Germany. LANXESS has a good reputation and is already a household name to many. That makes things much easier. In the past few years, we have gone through many changes in terms of our legal form and our external image. That took a lot of energy because our customers abroad, in particular, are very sensitive to such changes. Now we are definitely hoping for more stability. Of course, at first, it feels a bit strange that our logo will disappear from the market sooner or later. But with LANXESS, we are moving under a strong umbrella brand that will open up many new opportunities for us.

Theseo is a leading manufacturer of disinfection and hygiene solutions in Europe and Latin America. What would you say is your recipe for success in the market?

Marcus Jurgeleit: I would say: the combination of flexibility and quality. Our broad portfolio has grown historically, as we have always been very responsive to our customers' wishes. At the moment, we manufacture about 80 different products. The areas of application range from stable cleaning and disinfection to drinking water hygiene, animal welfare, and pest control. Our customers, therefore, receive a broad spectrum from a single source. Moreover, because we have good supply chains, and we can usually deliver very quickly. And we stand for high quality. This is demonstrated, for example, by the GMP Plus seal of approval, to which our feeds are certified.

What do you want to see happen now for the site?

Marcus Jurgeleit: We are all ready to take off with LANXESS behind us. Whether in production or sales, from our point of view there are many synergies that we can use to continue to grow together in the market. Of course, a sale is never easy. But we are now fully focused on the doors that will open for us. We have many plans and ideas on how to develop the site further - and hope to be able to implement them with LANXESS now.

From Wietmarschen to the world

• The Wietmarschen site is located in Lower Saxony, about 200 kilometers from the Cologne headquarters. Around 40 employees work here, 12 of them in production.
• Around 80 countries are supplied with the products manufactured in Wietmarschen. Important sales markets are Poland, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and North Africa.
• Theseo Germany's top-selling products include ALDECOC? CMK, ALDEKOL DES? 03, ALDEKOL DES? 04, and ALDEKOL DES?FF for stable disinfection, as well as the animal feed MENTOFIN?.

Learn here more about Theseo and its products.