German chemical and health care company The Bayer Group had a record-breaking first quarter in 2006. Sales improved by 11.8% to €7,494 million compared with €6,704 million in the same period in 2005. Adjusted for currency and portfolio effects, sales grew 5.8%. This improvement was mainly attributable to the Bayer HealthCare and Bayer MaterialScience subgroups.

Bayer MaterialScience sales grew in the first quarter, posting a rise of 10.5% year-on-year to €2,811 million compared with €2,544 million in the comparable period a year earlier. In the Materials segment, significantly higher volumes were achieved in the Polycarbonates business unit, while H.C. Starck increased sales through price increases. Sales in the Materials segment amounted to €1,035 million, an increase of 12.1%. In the Systems segment, sales advanced by 9.6% to €1,776 million, driven mainly by the price increases for TDI and polyether implemented by the Polyurethanes Business Unit.

Approximately half of the group's growth was generated in North America, where sales increased 22.2% to €2,179 million. First quarter sales in Europe grew 6.4% to €3,308 million, with Germany reporting above-average expansion of 16.2% to €1,197 million. In Asia/Pacific, sales rose 8.9% to €1,130 million with business in China growing by 33%. In the Latin America/Africa/Middle East region sales rose 13.3 % to €877 million.