The new site will allow BASF to increase the production capacity of its high-performance surface treatment solutions in China.
The Surface Treatment global business unit of the Coatings division of BASF, which operates under the Chemetall brand, has celebrated the inauguration of a state-of-the-art surface treatment production site in Pinghu, in the Zhejiang province (China).
BASF has also already inaugurated the Chemetall innovation and technology centre for surface treatments in Shanghai. Spanning across 60,000 m2, the new Pinghu plant is the first production site of the company located in the Dushan Port Economic Development Zone and also its largest surface treatment site globally.
“In July this year, we expanded our production capacity of automotive refinish coatings at our Jiangmen site in Guangdong Province. Today, we celebrate the opening of our new surface treatment site in Pinghu. We are strategically located closely to our customers to meet the local demands for our advanced and time-tested solutions,” has stated Uta Holzenkamp, the president of the Coatings Division at BASF. “Our goal is to be a growth-oriented surface technology leader, providing sustainable solutions, services, expertise and innovations that support our customers in various industries and in our key growth market – China.”
Projected as a smart factory, the Pinghu site allows to reach a high level of process automation and end-to-end digitalisation
of the operations, in order to achieve a high efficiency in manufacturing and logistics. The new plant will be used to manufacture a comprehensive portfolio of surface treatment products and solutions destined to various market segments, including automotive OEM and components, coil, general industry, cold forming, aerospace, aluminium finishing and glass.
“BASF is committed to growing in China, the world’s largest chemical market. It is our strategy to produce where our customers are. The Pinghu site is another good example to demonstrate our customer focus by enhancing our local technological and market positions,” has added Jeffrey Lou, the president and chairman of BASF Greater China.
“Asia Pacific is the world’s fastest growing surface treatment market and China accounts for approximately 50% of the market in Asia. We believe the China market will show attractive growth rates in the medium to long term. By localizing our cutting-edge processes and solutions, like our thin-film technology Oxsilan®, we are strengthening our leading position in China and we will significantly reduce the delivery time to our local customers,” has concluded Christophe Cazabeau, Senior Vice President of Surface Treatment.