May 13 2008
BASF Coatings has started up its new production site for paints in Russia. The new facility at Pavlovski Posad, 60 kilometers east of Moscow, has an annual production capacity of 6,000 tonnes of paints (basecoats and clearcoats).
BASF Coatings starts operations at production site for paints in Russia
The new site will supply customers in the burgeoning Russian automotive market with high-quality coatings. In addition, it will offer customers local support for application techniques and laboratory services. That makes BASF Coatings the first international paint manufacturer to be able to supply customers locally from its own production facility.
“Our local production capacity provides us with a good basis for shaping the dynamic development of the Russian automotive market,” explains Juan Ximenez-Camillo, head of BASF Coatings’ Automotive OEM Coatings unit for Europe.
At the Pavlovski Posad site a staff of 50 is employed in production, at the quality test lab, the warehouse and in the workshop. As demand grows, the production line can also be expanded to a volume of 25,000-30,000 tonnes. Details on the amount invested were not disclosed.
For the Russian automotive industry, as well as for prominent carmakers from all over the world, Russia has become an attractive market and location for the production of cars. Today, Russia is already considered to be one of the world’s four largest growth markets, and it will be expanding in the coming years, which will make it Europe's second strongest national economy, after Germany. All of the key carmakers, including the Asian OEMs, are either already represented in Russia or will be establishing their presence there shortly. In addition to quantitative growth, Russia is also experiencing a rise in demand for high-quality paint technologies. “BASF has years of experience in close partnership with both Russian and multinational customers, who we support with products and innovative solutions for cost-effective and ecologically efficient finishing,” says Semen Belyakov, head of BASF Coatings in Russia.
Posted May 13th,2008