LANXESS Business Unit Inorganic Pigments is a leading manufacturer of synthetically produced inorganic color pigments. Bayferrox® and Colortherm® iron oxides are available in the primary colors yellow (FeOOH), black (Fe3O4) and red (Fe2O3), but also as a mixture in orange, beige and brown shades.

Despite the long history of expertise in pigment production, going back over more than 90 years, the Business Unit is constantly optimizing and innovating the processes (not only in production), uses new methods and tools and refines it cooperatively "from within" – just like the implementation of the statistical software JMP with creating a totally new JMP community with regular exchange of experience and trainings.

In this interview, Dr. Bartholomäus Luczak, Plant Production Manager at LANXESS Business Unit Inorganic Pigments, shows why a joint vision, easy flagship projects, informal opinion leaders, personal development of the employees as well as a regular, open-minded experience exchange are so important and why it can be more expedient not to pursue new approaches "top-down".

Besides the success principles, lessons learned are shown – or why the organization did not adapt exactly this kind of approach and tool some years ago.