CHATTANOOGA, TN, May 15, 2008 – The management and staff of BASF’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, manufacturing sites recently celebrated the manufacture of their five billionth pound of latex used to make carpet backing, enough to serve the carpet needs of more than 30 million average size homes in the United States.

"We have enjoyed a mutually beneficial business relationship for several decades,” said Joe W. Yarbrough, Executive Vice President of Operations for Mohawk Industries, Inc.  “BASF should take pride in the professional manner in which they conduct their business with us. With world-class products, service, quality and technology, as well as teams of dedicated people, the production of 5 billion pounds of polymer is but one measure of the outstanding company that BASF is.  Congratulations on having reached this production milestone!"

“This is an important achievement for our Chattanooga site and for BASF’s carpet business,” said Bert Templeton, Business Manager for BASF’s Acrylics and Dispersions business in North America. “BASF has served the carpet sector for 20 years and was the first company to produce a latex for low odor carpet backing. We have continued to invest in this business to help our carpet customers to be successful.”

“It goes without saying that BASF has been a long-standing partner to
our business,” said Anthony Minite, President, Bentley Prince Street. “BASF continues to provide a quality product, as well as assist our team with their research and development expertise, resulting in more sustainable options for our customers.

BASF has invested more than $50 million in process and equipment upgrades since it began operating the Chattanooga dispersions sites in 1988.

“We’re proud of our performance in reliably serving carpet manufacturers with high quality latex,” said J.D. Purvis, Director of Operations for BASF’s Acrylics and Dispersions business in North America. “This production milestone represents enough latex to produce seven billion square yards of carpet. That’s enough eight foot wide carpet to wrap around the earth 60 times. We’re even more proud of the safety and environmental record that we have achieved while reaching this important milestone. For example, since BASF acquired the Chattanooga sites in 1988 we’ve reduced air emissions by 98 percent.”

In the area of safety, the BASF Chattanooga manufacturing sites have been recognized often for safety. In the last five years BASF received:

• A special Interest award for the Amnicola Highway site from Tennessee Safety and Health Council (TSHC) for the “Longest Running Perfect Record for Safety in Tennessee,” running from December 25, 1993 to date;
• Honor awards from the TSHC since 2002 for the Polymer Drive and Amnicola Highway sites for perfect records, e.g., no days away from work due to injuries;
• Commendation awards from the National Safety Council for either perfect records (zero Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR)) or TRIR below the industry average for the past 15 years;
• Tennessee Safety Congress state champions in “Safety Jeopardy” and;
• Recognition by the Chattanooga Fire Department for the BASF Chattanooga Emergency Response (TRACER) team as best in class.

In addition to efforts to keep carpet customers satisfied, senior staff members of the BASF Chattanooga manufacturing sites are highly engaged and active in community activities in the Chattanooga area.  For example, BASF employees serve on the boards of directors for various charitable and business organizations in Chattanooga and surrounding towns.

From 2000 to 2001, Purvis was Chairman of the Board of the Chattanooga Manufacturer's Association and C. D. Mitchell Award winner. In addition, BASF’s site safety manager remains active in the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and is a former Chairman of the Board of this group. Finally, BASF’s site controller is a past member of the board of directors for Northside Neighborhood House charities.

Since 1988 when BASF acquired the Chattanooga manufacturing complex, the company has contributed more than $500,000 to the following organizations in the Chattanooga area:

• United Way
• Chattanooga Aquarium
• Kids on the Block
• Marines Toys for Tots
• WTCI Public Television
• NAACP
• Northside Neighborhood House
• Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Service
• Tennessee River Gorge Trust
• Orchard Knob Elementary School

• Brown Middle School
• Hunter Middle School
• Tennessee Technology Student Association
• Chattanooga Middle School
• Hamilton County LEPC 
• Junior Achievement
• Allied Arts
• Chattanooga Nature Center
• Support YMCA as Volunteers
• Support Blood Assurance

BASF is a leader in the emulsions used to produce carpet backings. Our experts at BASF’s Carpet Center in Dalton, Georgia, support carpet manufacturers with extensive knowledge and state-of-the-art equipment and low-VOC products with superior tensile strength and elongation.

BASF - The Chemical Company. We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.®

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 15,000 employees in North America, and had sales of approximately $16.4 billion in 2007. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner, BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost €58 billion in 2007. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.