It is the first regional centre for applied surface treatment technology solutions of BASF in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Surface Treatment global business unit of the Coatings division of BASF, operating under the Chemetall brand, has celebrated the opening of its first regional innovation and technology centre for applied surface treatment technology in Shanghai (China).
The advanced facility, which covers an area of 2,600 m2, will gather dedicated expertise to address the growing demands for customised surface treatment innovations and solutions for a wide range of industries and market segments in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The opening of this Innovation and Technology Center is an important pillar of our growth strategy and strengthens our technical and innovation capabilities in Asia Pacific. It shows our commitment to further contribute to and support the long-term success of our customers in the fastest-growing region,” has stated Christophe Cazabeau, the senior vice-president of Surface Treatment in the Coatings Division at BASF.
“Innovation is key to powering growth for BASF. This new center’s ability to develop customized surface treatment solutions closer to the market will further underpin our technology leadership and our customers’ success,” has declared Jeffrey Lou, the president and Chairman of BASF in Greater China.
The site, which is equipped with multiple technical capabilities and operated by a highly experienced team, hosts the new laboratories and can provide a comprehensive range of tests and services such as analytical, application, salt spray and climate testing. Moreover, it also runs various state-of-the-art simulation lines for pre-treatment and coating processes, including VIANT – a novel coating technology for corrosion protection.
BASF will carry out development work on a wide range of applied surface treatment technologies and applications for various market segments, including automotive OEM and components, coil, general industry, cold forming, aerospace, aluminium finishing and glass.
“Our regional innovation and technology center will help to accelerate our speed-tomarket of cutting-edge surface treatment solutions, drive customer-centric product development and expand our innovation pipeline,” has concluded Mubarik Chowdhry, the head of Global Technology for Surface Treatment of the Coatings Division of BASF. “As an integrated technical hub, it can harness the synergies and competencies within our existing global network, as well as our local surface treatment analytical labs in Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand, to better serve the rising market demand for innovative and sustainable solutions in Asia.”