Oct 4 2007
BASF Coatings is expanding its production and laboratory capacities for the manufacture of eco-efficient waterborne coatings at its Würzburg site. This is the company's response to the growing demand in the European and Asian markets, especially from the automotive industry. In Münster-Hiltrup, BASF Coatings is also investing in the construction of a new polyurethane reactor to produce resins required for the manufacture of waterborne coatings. The combined investment totaling around €29 million is one of the largest in the company's history.
In contrast to conventional base coats, waterborne coatings contain very low levels of organic solvents, most of which are replaced by water. This has the advantage of considerably diminishing their environmental impact by reducing solvent emissions. While in 1997 the proportion of waterborne coating systems used worldwide was 20 percent, today this has now reached a level of about 35 percent.
BASF Coatings is already Europe's No. 1 in the growing market for waterborne coatings. Juan G. Ximénez-Carrillo Gerber, head of Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions, a business unit of BASF Coatings, emphasizes: "This expansion of our capacities means we can supply our customers with outstanding products over the long term." Dr. Thomas Krüger, Site Manager in Würzburg, adds: "The demand for waterborne coatings has distinctly increased, especially for plastic add-ion parts."
The Würzburg facility is already successfully established as the BASF Coatings' competence center for waterborne coatings. The investment will also create 20 new jobs. Besides extending the buildings for production and the application equipment, BASF Coatings is also modernizing and expanding the laboratory facilities. This means that new colors for plastic add-on parts can be developed and made available to customers more rapidly. The activities in Würzburg are scheduled to commence this year.