A proven track record in co-location
BASF has a proven track record in Europe with firms who have co-located at the company’s two major German sites --Ludwigshafen and Schwarzheide --and Tarragona, Spain. Several manufacturers have already capitalized on these opportunities and operate plants at these production complexes.

JV with GE Plastics thrives at BASF’s Schwarzheide site
In 1997, General Electric’s GE Plastics Europe BV and BASF AG teamed up to create BASF GE Schwarzheide GmbH & Co., a 50/50 joint venture that manufactures and markets polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), a thermoplastic polyester used in auto components, appliances and consumer products. When the new company sought a home for its world-scale 60,000 tonne per year facility, it looked at several options. The company decided to co-locate at BASF’s Schwarzheide site because of the cost advantages there and the fact that a compounding facility was already on site. Today, the joint venture is the largest customer for services at the Schwarzheide site. The BASF GE venture is integrated into the whole energy structure of the site, and pays for site services as they would anywhere else. Executives at BASF GE Schwarzheide describe the investment as a success and consider it a well-run operation.

Water treatment company MIWAC taps into Schwarzheide
When Sachtleben GmbH subsidiary MIWAC sought a location for its 25,000 tonne per year polyaluminiumchloride (PAC) facility, it focused on finding secure raw material availability. MIWAC found what they were looking for at BASF’s Schwarzheide site. The company found an excellent infrastructure and a perfect fit for its product, allowing direct access to hydrochloric acid feedstock from isocyanate production at the site. Not only did MIWAC tap into available raw materials, road and rail links at Schwarzheide, the company also benefits from highly-skilled labor there. Managers at MIWAC describe the whole experience as very positive, and have stated that they would make the same decision again today. MIWAC has been established at Schwarzheide since September 1998.