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BASF boosts R&D in Asia Pacific for automotive coatings
- New laboratories strengthen regional R&D capabilities in proximity to key customers
- Focus on technologies with lower environmental impact
SOUTHFIELD, MI, July 22, 2016 -- BASF steps up its regional research and development (R&D) activities for automotive coatings at the BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Shanghai, China. At the new state-of-the-art coatings and coating resins laboratories, the company’s R&D team innovates to address regional automotive customers’ growing demands for high-performance, quality and flexible coatings solutions with a lower environmental impact.
“We anticipated the significant market shift of the automotive industry, as well as the shift of R&D capacities of our customers to Asia,” said Peter Fischer, BASF Senior Vice President, Coatings Solutions, Asia Pacific. “One key enabler for future success is the globalization of our R&D landscape and to establish an organization to meet future market needs. We plan to increase our R&D personnel in Asia Pacific, mostly in China.”
With a high level of expertise and cutting-edge facilities, the new laboratories focus on R&D activities for coating formulations, resins, polymer synthesis, as well as coating applications for spray-coats and electro deposition coatings. The latest coating application technology also ensures that customer’s production line conditions can be simulated, creating superior value.
In general, demand for sustainable and high-performance coatings that reduce volatile organic compounds in the automotive industry is on the rise.
“We have built up significant R&D resources at the Innovation Campus in Shanghai, where many of our innovations are developed to benefit our customers. We will further invest and develop new solutions to address growing demand of our customers for products that are sustainable, durable and esthetically pleasing,” added Rafael Bautista Mester, BASF Head of R&D and Technology Management, Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific. “Bringing together our R&D talent, we are working on global and regional projects that focus on researching and developing new and improved products, applications and alternative technologies.”
Download photo on right, suggested caption #1: Equipped with cutting-edge equipment, the new laboratories conduct R&D activities covering resins, coating formulation, polymer synthesis, as well as coating applications for spray and electro deposition coatings.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #2: The R&D employees will be working together on global and regional projects that focus on researching and developing new and improved products, applications and alternative technologies.
Download photo on right, suggested caption #3: The new labs consist of manual and pneumatic spray booths for testing.
About BASF’s Coatings division
The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, industrial coatings and decorative paints. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2015, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €3.2 billion.
Solutions beyond your imagination – Coatings by BASF. For more information about the Coatings division of BASF and its products, visit www.basf-coatings.com.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.4 billion in 2015. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com.
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