WOLFEN/MZ. "Our product is actually invisible - only its impact", says Bernhard Sack, CEO of the enterprise Amynova Polymers in Wolfen. And that's what only counts at the end.

Founded in 2006, the company makes polymer solutions from renewable resources which can be used as special coating materials.

Areas for application are foremost agriculture and paper industry. The solutions have the characteristic to keep certain materials in place and position.

For example, in crop farming they ensure that nutrients and active substances will not be washed away from the plants with the first rainshower, but remain on the leaves - that's interesting for special cultures such as wine. They are able to establish a high resistance of seeds in soils against erosion processes. And they solidify the surface of arable land, so that fertilizers penetrate more slowly through the ground, not to be washed away and lengthen their effect by that.

For the future Sack and his researcher and developer Dr. Klaus Käsebier see a large area of use in the paper and cardboard industry. There are huge application possibilities of the so-called homogeneous polymer solutions, which develop natural barriers against fats and flavours. In addition, in the food and pharmaceutical industry these bio products offer new technical solutions by replacing traditional chemicals.

The idea of this product had the chemist Käsebier. "In my research work, which I have done in other young innovative companies at TGZ already, I have realised these characteristics in renewable resources - especially in starch - and I thought, it can work", he says. And: It worked. "There are not many manufacturers, who produce such polymer solutions from renewable resources like us. At the moment there's no starch on the market, which has characteristics like ours", explains Sack. "Our products are bio from A to Z. And that's the trend - especially in agriculture."

It doesn't mean that there are no competitors for the Wolfeners. However, they produce on a synthetic base.

There is no huge plant yet, even the circle of customers isn't numerous. The company, currently employing six people, is working on its grade of recognition. "All over Germany we have farmers who are convinced of our products", Sack remarks, "but it is a lengthy process to prove the effectiveness. Now our experiments extend over one year according to the vegetation period. But in order to be recognized correctly, they should last at least over two years."

Nevertheless the 4-year-old company Amynova Polymers can refer to acknowledgments already. On the shelf are displayed the Hugo Junkers Award, the Innovation Award of the district authority, and a plenty other award documents. "To announce to competitions has helped us to become known in the industry at all and to find investors" says chief clerk Bernhard Sack. There's not only a lot of patience needed to create an enterprise out of nothing but also money to keep it running and to develop it further, he says. "Everybody who has an idea I can recommend to announce to competitions - a good opportunity to build a good name." And: "Economic success starts always with little and with a good idea." The company will launch a new product line called "Amynella" - an agent for nurturing ornamental plants, fruit and berries - in 2011. Splendid specimen of white orchids are displayed in the office of Sack und Käsebier. They would talk about "Amynella" - if they only could.