Equity Stakes - All or Nothing?

Far from it. New markets and products become accessible through a variety of participations. Whether through a majority or minority share, a joint venture or even a complete acquisition, BASF repeatedly expands its portfolio, opens up new markets and merges expertise through participations in companies.

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Re-Entry into the U.S. Market

In 1958, BASF and the Dow Chemical Company set up the joint venture Dow Badische Company. It forms the nucleus of BASF’s operations in the U.S. today.

While BASF brings to the table its technical expertise, the American partner provides what BASF is missing for North America at the time, namely knowledge of the market.

Colorful Cars and House Facades

In the 1960s, BASF makes the complete transition from a supplier of coating raw materials to a supplier of finished paints through acquisition of Hamburg-based Glasurit-Werke M. Winkelmann AG. In this way, it lays the groundwork for the current BASF Coatings GmbH located in Münster-Hiltrup, Germany, too, being one of the world's leading producers of coatings and decorative paints. In 1969, BASF also acquires Suvinil, which has been the market leader for decorative paints in Brazil for many years.

Emission and Process Control with Catalysts

In 2006, BASF acquires the Engelhard Corporation. At that time, it has already built up more than 120 years of experience in process catalysts. Without them modern chemical industry would be hard to imagine. BASF bundles its know-how in this area with Engelhard's experience and technologies as a pioneer in emission control catalysts. Catalyst research is continued jointly in this area as well. A successful example is the innovative FWC™ four-way conversion catalyst for gasoline engines, presented by BASF in 2013.

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Focusing on the Essentials

The development of BASF’s product portfolio also includes repeated consolidation, in other words, the focus on fast-growing and innovative business areas through divestments. Storage media, which emerged from the production of magnetic audio tapes that started in 1934, is the first example of the divestment of an entire business segment. In 1997, BASF sells its worldwide magnetic tape activities. In 2000/2004, BASF abandons even its traditional textile dye business.

When BASF supplements the product range with consumer-oriented and more highly refined products in the 1960s and 1970s, this is particularly done through acquisitions. Coatings are an example for this, a field of work that BASF enters in 1965, and which today is grouped under the umbrella of BASF Coatings GmbH.

An example from the recent history of the company is its acquisition of the Engelhard Corporation in 2006. As a result of this acquisition, the expertise and technology of both companies are concentrated in the field of catalysts, and exhaust gas catalysts are integrated into the product portfolio.

Corporate investments, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, also serve as a ticket to new markets, as exemplified by the establishment of the American joint venture Dow Badische in 1958. The following acquisition of the Wyandotte Chemicals Corporation in 1969 expands activities in the U.S. and at the same time clears the way to the polyurethane field in the North American market. This is paralleled by the entry into the European polyurethane business through the investment in the Elastomer/Elastogran Group (100% ownership in 1971).

Contrary to corporate investments of varying degrees, BASF’s business fields are consolidated through divestments and the establishment of new companies.