BASF inaugurates expanded dispersion production in Durban, South Africa, as it celebrates 60 years in the country

• Expansion boosts supply capabilities of dispersions for architectural coatings, construction and paper industries in East, West and Southern Africa
• Upgraded application laboratory enhances technical collaboration and support for customers across the region
• Investment reinforces BASF’s position as a reliable supplier in EMEA

Ludwigshafen, Germany – March 4, 2026 – BASF has expanded production capacity for dispersions at its site in Durban, South Africa, strengthening the company’s ability to supply customers with high-quality dispersions used in architectural coatings, construction materials and the paper industry. The significant capacity increase ensures supply reliability, enabling BASF to support customer growth plans more effectively.

In addition to the expanded capacity, BASF has established a modern application laboratory on-site. This new facility enhances technical service capabilities, enabling closer collaboration with customers and stronger support for formulation development.

The Durban site, which supplies customers across East, West and Southern Africa, is one of six dispersion production locations within BASF’s EMEA network. With manufacturing facilities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, BASF ensures close local proximity to customers, reliable supply and responsiveness to local market needs. 

“Our investment in Durban underscores our strong commitment to the dynamic African region and our local customers. Together with the recent capacity expansion in Dilovasi, Türkiye, and the modernization of the Ludwigshafen plant, we are strengthening our position as a leading supplier of high-quality dispersions across EMEA enhancing our capability to support our customers’ growth and innovations” says Dr. Jörg Niebergall, Senior Vice President,Dispersions Europe.

“This expansion in Durban will increase our supply reliability and ensure excellent product quality,” adds Ruveshen Reddy, responsible for the Durban production site. “To achieve this, we modernized our production facilities and installed a cutting-edge reactor.”

This year, BASF celebrates 60 years in South Africa. The company remains the only multinational that operates a dedicated dispersions production facility in the country, demonstrating its long-standing commitment to customers, partners and regional market development.
 

BASF’s Dispersions & Resins division

The Dispersions & Resins division of BASF develops, produces and markets a range of high-quality polymer dispersions, resins, additives and electronic materials worldwide. These raw materials are used in formulations for a number of industries, including coatings, construction, adhesives, printing and packaging, electronics and paper. With its comprehensive product portfolio and its extensive knowledge of the industry, the Dispersions & Resins division offers its customers innovative and sustainable solutions and helps them advance their formulations. For further information about the Dispersions & Resins division, please visit www.dispersions-resins.basf.com

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 108,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €60 billion in 2025. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

P-26-026