• Styrolution aligns organization with  its ‘Triple Shift' growth strategy
• Global industry teams for automotive, electrical & electronics and healthcare & diagnostics
• Proximity a key driver for Styrolution's approach to the building & construction and household industries
• Customer-centric innovation at the center of Styrolution's industry approach

Frankfurt, Germany – January 30, 2014 – Aiming to strengthen its customer-centric innovation and drive growth, Styrolution announced a new organizational unit: Global Focus Industries and R&D. The unit will be led by styrenics industry veteran, Rob Buntinx, with a mandate to better serve customers in key focus industries worldwide through industry-specific account management and services. The group's R&D arm will further emphasize application-driven collaborative innovation with customers.

Key points:

• Styrolution aligns organization with its ‘Triple Shift' growth strategy: The formation of the new unit aligns with the company's growth strategy, which calls for three ‘shifts' intended to put greater focus on three areas: higher-growth industries, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties, and emerging markets.
• Global industry teams for automotive, electrical & electronics and healthcare & diagnostics: Customers in automotive, electronics, and healthcare rely upon the deep collective styrenic polymer expertise Styrolution offers. Furthermore, the company's many years of collaboration with top brands in each of the respective industries provides Styrolution with the know-how and insight necessary to address the unique requirements customers have throughout the value chain.  These benefits, coupled with Styrolution's global presence put the company in a unique position to provide styrenic polymers and services on a global scale tailored to the needs of customers worldwide.
• Proximity a prime driver for Styrolution's approach to the building & construction, and household industries: Due to the region-specific requirements of customers in these industries, they will continue to be served regionally.  In order to ensure customers benefit from Styrolution's profound expertise in these areas, global and regional coordinators will facilitate transfer of best practices.
• Packaging and toys/sports/leisure industries continue to play vital role: Styrolution counts some of the most important global companies in these industries among its loyal customers.  These companies will continue to receive the same high level of local service and product expertise they have come to appreciate from Styrolution.
• Customer-centric innovation at the center of Styrolution's industry approach: The addition of Global R&D and Intellectual Property to the new organizational unit will help Styrolution further focus its innovation efforts on industry trends and customer needs by tying research more strongly to application development. One key initiative to be fully implemented in 2014 is the new R&D partnership between Styrolution, the independent research and technology development provider NMB, and the University of Bayreuth. This partnership is meant to further strengthen the company's strong position in key industries through a focus on customer-centric innovation, as well as strategic projects like 3D printing and lightweight structures.

Quotes:

• Roberto Gualdoni, CEO, Styrolution: "Styrolution´s unique set-up comprises our global asset footprint, global teams for each of our focus industries, and an R&D infrastructure present in all regions of the world that is well connected to leading research institutes in styrenic polymer and material science. Customers across the world rely upon our styrenics expertise in their respective industries, enabling us to enter into collaborative innovation and succeed in application development. This is what makes us the global leader in styrenic innovation. I am confident the changes announced today will further strengthen our leading position globally."