New issue of Coatings Partner published

• Spirit of optimism:North American automotive industry regaining its strength

The North American automotive market is on the upswing. The current issue of the Coatings Partner e-journal (www.coatingspartner.com) focuses on developments in the automotive industry and describes BASF’s successful collaboration with its customers in North America. For instance, BASF supplies Tesla, an innovative manufacturer of electric cars based in California, with both coatings and engineering plastics materials.

25 years of partnership with Canadian wholesaler

Successful partnerships usually operate on a long-term basis and are always characterized by mutual trust. White & Peters, Western Canada’s leading wholesaler for bodyshop and spraypainting supplies, has closely cooperated with BASF for 25 years. “From the time we included the first BASF products in our program, they were the leaders in terms of both quality and application,” said Mort Hall, General Manager of White & Peters.

Automotive refinishing sector:BASF supports training

The prerequisite for a perfect finish is not only high-quality coatings, but above all, well-trained staff. BASF is helping vocational schools in the United States, supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation. The non-profit organization is committed to ensuring that students have access to first-class bodyshop training. Here, BASF is offering both financial support and modern equipment in order to enable the schools to switch over to ecological waterborne technology.

Color trends:Express more individuality

In the new e-journal you can also read how automotive colors of the future will look. BASF’s international design team has highlighted progress with this year’s automotive trend collection entitled “Making Headway”. For more than ten years, black, silver, white and, most recently, browns have dominated the scene. Now the BASF design team expects a shift to more colorful coatings in the future. In his region, Paul Czornij, head of BASF Color Design in North America, is observing a growing desire for individuality. “That’s why we are trying to develop colors that express at a glance: This is me.” The trend color green will play an increasingly important role in North America, with slightly yellow shades such as lemon. BASF has therefore reworked its greens in addition to colors like blue, dark red and brown and lent them greater depth and contrast.

Coatings Partner

Coatings Partner targets customers, business partners and the interested public. The latest issue is now available for download in German and English at www.coatingspartner.com. The Spanish and Chinese editions will also be available there shortly.

About the Coatings Division

In the Coatings Division, BASF develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints. BASF has significant market positions in the Coatings sector in Europe, North America, South America and the Asia Pacific region. In 2012, the Coatings Division of the BASF Group achieved global sales of nearly €3.0 billion . The internet address is www.basf-coatings.com. You can download a copy of the customer magazine Coatings Partner from www.coatingspartner.com.

About BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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