Pune: Specialty chemicals company Lanxess and Hindustan Colas have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore strategic cooperation in advanced road construction technologies for the Indian infrastructure market. The agreement establishes a framework for assessing technical, commercial and business opportunities involving bitumen and asphalt modification technologies. Under the MoU, the companies will jointly assess solutions intended to improve pavement performance, increase production efficiency, reduce environmental impact and support the development of sustainable road infrastructure in India. The partnership will combine Lanxess’s technology and technical capabilities with Hindustan Colas’s local testing and operational expertise. The companies will conduct laboratory and commercial-scale evaluations of Addipave® CR 36, Lanxess’s cross-linking technology for polymer modified bitumen (PMB) applications. The evaluation will examine the technology’s suitability for local operating conditions and its potential contribution to the performance and production of modified bitumen formulations. According to Lanxess, the technology is expected to improve PMB production efficiency, strengthen product consistency and quality, enhance operational safety and support better formulation performance. Lanxess will provide the product, technical expertise and trial support, while Hindustan Colas will contribute testing facilities, operational assistance and performance assessment. Vince Patram, global head of marketing for Lanxess’s lubricant additives business unit, said the cooperation would use Hindustan Colas’s local market insight to help expand the company’s presence in India through asphalt applications tailored to domestic requirements. Debashis Chakraverty, CEO and director of Hindustan Colas, said the company viewed the evaluation as an opportunity to examine technologies that could enhance pavement performance, improve sustainability and create long-term value for India’s road construction industry.