Global healthcare, agriculture and high-tech materials group Bayer is marking its 150th anniversary through the highly visible deployment of an airship, which is being displayed at various events taking place on five continents.

The ‘silent giant’ was introduced in February as part of the Spring Financial News Conference, in Leverkusen, Germany, and was dispatched on its worldwide trip, first to Sydney, Australia, and then to Soweto, in South Africa, in late April.

It will travel to New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona before returning to Germany for a nationwide tour.

The Bayer cross on the hull is 8 m high and the company mission – Science For A Better Life – stretches over 18 m. In addition to the pilot and copilot, the gondola of the airship has room for two passengers, giving them the opportunity to experience the world from above.

The airship combines traditional aviation technology with modern materials. The hull is made of about 1 500 m2 of coated fabric and the gondola is clad in the transparent plastic, Makrolon, produced by Bayer MaterialScience. The gondola structure, which is among the heaviest components, is made of aviation steel.

The maximum launch weight is 900 kg, including the crew, motor, burner control system and additional equipment. Lift is provided by heated air and is propelled by a 65 hp motor and a propeller. Environ- mentally compatible high-adhesion coatings protect the airship’s balloon.

Bayer selected the airship to celebrate its anniversary year because it attracts interest, is impressive in the sky and is quiet and unobtrusive, says Bayer head of corporate communications Michael Schade.

Further anniversary celebrations include an art exhibition in Berlin, Germany; an interactive anniversary roadshow tour, which will stop in 30 cities worldwide to exhibit the company’s mission; and a cele- bration day for its employees on June 18, which will include a free lunch.

Further, the company’s Bayer Cares Foundation will launch a volunteer programme for current and retired employees who are running projects to improve the living conditions of communities around Bayer sites to apply for funding of up to €5 000 a project.

Bayer was founded in 1863 and has con- tributed to improving the lives of people and animals through its medical innovations. The company started with two men, plenty of innovative spirit and two kitchen stoves.

On these stoves, businessperson Friedrich Bayer and dyer Johann Friedrich Weskott conducted experiments and eventually discovered how to make the dye fuchsine. They subsequently founded the ‘Friedr. Bayer et. comp.’ company in Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany, which developed into the worldwide enterprise it is currently, with more than 110 000 employees.

The company initially produced synthetic dyestuffs, but its product range increased and, in 1881, it became a joint stock corporation and developed into an international chemicals company.

In 1925, the company became part of the IG Farbenindustrie conglomerate. It was re-established as an independent company, named Farbenfabriken Bayer, in 1951.

In 1988, the company shifted its focus to its core activities, resulting in the sale of its subsidiary, Agfa, in 1999.

In 2005, it spun off significant parts of its traditional chemicals business to form a new subsidiary, Lanxess. Simultaneously, the healthcare and agriculture busi- nesses were expanded and Bayer acquired Aventis CropScience in 2001 and Schering in 2006.

Bayer aviation fans can follow the airship tour on www.150.bayer.de and on the Bayer Facebook page and participate in the photography contest that is being run with the airship tour.