For the body shops of the future: BASF launches new waterborne basecoat line

Being the pioneer in waterborne coatings solutions for the automotive industry, BASF’s Coatings division now presents its new, most advanced refinish product line. 

By increasing the efficiency and significantly lowering the environmental impact, the products meet the highest expectations of modern body shops. During the development of the waterborne basecoat line, the focus was put on sustainable aspects: The innovative formulation optimizes the processing properties for fast and efficient application and enables spray painters to produce highly efficient and at the same time environmentally friendly refinishing results.  Besides reducing CO₂ emissions due to shorter process times in the body shop, the value of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is consistently below 250g/l and thus the lowest on the market, making the new product line the eco-friendliest automotive refinish coatings available.

“Innovation is a key pillar of BASF’s growth. The Coatings division has always been committed to exciting the market with the best surface solutions. With the development of our new refinish product line, we have anticipated the challenges of the changing refinish market and support our customers when it comes to cutting emissions and becoming more efficient and sustainable,” said Dirk Bremm, president of BASF’s Coatings division. The new waterborne basecoat line is the result of intense research and development in cross-functional teams of experts. Part of the success formula has been customer focus and constant feedback. “The customers are in the center of everything we do, and we rely on their feedback to provide the best solutions possible. Together, we tested the products under real life conditions and got the confirmation that the paint system is capable of reproducing millions of colors on the market under all climate conditions,” said Fabien Boschetti, Director, Global Marketing, BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions. “When comparing with existing basecoat lines in the market, on average, customers can expect savings of up to 35% in overall process times through faster application and shorter flash-off cycles. Another 20% savings can be made as material consumption is reduced,” Boschetti continued.

BASF’s new waterborne basecoat line is not only about paints, it also includes a complete set of solutions for the body shops of the future. Customers can benefit from new ergonomic and state-of-the-art mixing stations that can be tailored to their individual needs. An additional web-based KPI reporting tool helps body shop managers to always have a clear overview of how their business is operating by providing information on economic efficiency or environmental benefits. Furthermore, to make customers, insurance companies, fleets, car manufacturers and other stakeholders aware of the quality and sustainability standards of the body shop, a TÜV-certified auditing program has also been established.

The new basecoat line including all additional services will be rolled-out under BASF’s premium refinish brands Glasurit^® and R-M^® globally. The roll-out starts in Q3 2020 in selected countries.