Ludwigshafen

World champion in efficiency

The Ludwigshafen site is the cradle of the Verbund idea. It was here that the idea was conceived and continuously further developed. The Verbund helps BASF to handle resources more efficiently and generate competitive advantages.

Of all six BASF Verbund sites, Ludwigshafen is the oldest and largest. Production facilities, energy flow, logistics and infrastructure are networked together intelligently in the Verbund. In this system, chemical processes can run in a resource-efficient way with lower energy consumption and higher yields.

The two steamcrackers, the synthesis gas plant and the acrylic acid works are core elements of the Verbund. They are the beginning of innumerable value chains and their products are further processed into thousands of commercial products through further process steps. Nothing is wasted in the process: The by-products of one facility serve another as a valuable input material.

This creates efficient value chains in Ludwigshafen, from basic chemicals to highly refined products such as paints and pesticides. At the same time, the system helps to save on raw materials and energy, minimize emissions, reduce logistics costs and exploit synergies.

From Ludwigshafen to the world

BASF has exported the Verbund principle of Ludwigshafen to the world: BASF’s second-largest Verbund site is in Antwerp, Belgium. In North America, both sites in Geismar/Louisiana and Freeport/Texas, supported by the steamcracker in Port Arthur/Texas, operate on the Verbund principle. In the Asia-Pacific region, BASF operates both Verbund sites in Kuantan/Malaysia and Nanjing/China.

Das Herz der BASF-Gruppe ist die BASF SE mit ihrem Stammwerk in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. Mit etwa 250 Produktionsbetrieben, vielen hundert Laboren, Technika, Werkstätten und Büros auf einer Fläche von rund zehn Quadratkilometern, ist es der größte zusammenhängende Chemiekomplex der Welt.

Das Stammwerk der BASF ist auch die Wiege des Verbundkonzepts: Produktionsanlagen, Energieflüsse und Logistik werden intelligent miteinander vernetzt, um Ressourcen so effizient wie möglich zu nutzen.