Bayer MaterialScience’s plant outside New Martinsville is now managed by Covestro, a multi-national company based in Germany.
NEW MARTINSVILLE — One of the Ohio Valley’s larger employers has adopted a new identity – Covestro.
Bayer MaterialScience is operating under the Covestro name. The company is an independent subsidiary of Bayer AG.
Headquartered in Germany, Covestro is a multi-national corporation with 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 15,700 full-time employees, according to the company’s website. The name change was effective Sept. 1. Covestro, formerly Bayer MaterialScience, has a plant located outside New Martinsville in Wetzel County.
Covestro’s name is made from a combination of words that reflect the identity of the new company, according to the business’s website. The letters C and O come from collaboration, while VEST signifies the company is well invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. The final letters, STRO, show the company is strong. It is strong in innovation, strong in the market and with a strong workforce.
“This is a new name and new mission for the business,” Amy Sox, Covestro spokeswoman, said. “The company’s commitment to its workers and customers is still a top priority.”
Sox said the company’s material science plant employs 230 workers at its New Martinsville facility will continue to employ the same leadership team.
Covestro notified the Wetzel County Chamber of Commerce of the name change earlier this year.
“Our vision at Covestro is as simple as it is bold: we want to make the world a brighter place,” Jeffrey S. Bolton, vice president and general plant manager, wrote in a letter to the chamber of commerce dated Sept. 1. “We will fulfill this vision when we inspire innovation and drive growth through profitable technologies and products that benefit society and reduce our impact on the environment.”
Covestro develops and produces the components for rigid and flexible foams as well as for solid materials, according to the company’s website. Diverse applications range from mattresses and car seats to insulating materials for refrigeration appliances and buildings. The company’s letter to the chamber of commerce said it produces high-value polymers and innovative solutions for key sectors such as transportation, construction, electronics, furniture, sports equipment and textiles.
“We will continue to develop new products that benefit society and reduce our impact on the environment,” Bolton wrote.
Sharon Thomas, executive director of the chamber of commerce, said the company will continue to serve the region as Bayer did.
“Bayer has always been a large employer contributor in the community,” she said. “I believe Covestro will be the same or better.”
Don Riggenbach, president of the chamber of commerce, added, “I hope for all of the success at the new plant and that they continue to be successful enough to create new job opportunities for the area.”
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