Record year for German chemicals: 2010.

Germany's chemical and pharmaceutical industries appear to be recovering from the recession as 2010 saw record figures posted by BASF, Bayer, Wacker Chemie, Merck and Henkel. BASF announced its operating earnings (EBIT) grew 68% to EUR 8.1 bn in 2010 from 2009, and sales climbed 26% to EUR 63.9 bn. The company cited the ongoing integration of Ciba as well as the purchase of Cognis as factors in setting the record figures. In Nanjing, China, BASF had carried out another expansion at its Verbund plant. Another speciality chemicals facility is proposed in Malaysia. Bayer saw its sales soaring to a record high of EUR 35.1 bn in 2010 from EUR 31.2 bn in 2009. BayerMaterial Science reported …