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May 21, 2018
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BASF and Lightning Technologies develop extremely durable and sustainable composite pallet

WYANDOTTE, MI, May 21, 2018 – BASF and Lightning Technologies have partnered to develop an eco-friendly, lightweight and cost-efficient composite pallet that is stronger, more durable and safer than traditional wooden or plastic pallets.

The newly developed pallet is the first of its kind to offer a hermetically sealed surface – a crucial component in pharmaceutical and food transportation safety. It protects against insects, bacteria, mold and other harmful organisms that can damage shipments or cause delays.

The technological breakthrough combines a substrate fabricated by Lightning Technologies with a newly formulated proprietary hybrid polyurea spray coating named Exobond™, developed in partnership with BASF.

“Our goal is to revolutionize the pallet industry, and to do so we needed the right material partner to make that a reality,” said Jeffrey Owen, CEO of Lightning Technologies. “BASF matched the inventive and innovative spirit of our company, and together we’re making groundbreaking advancements for pallet platforms.”

Exobond, the polyurea spray coating material developed jointly by BASF and Lightning Technologies, enables several benefits for the composite pallet. It increases durability for end-to-end supply chain stages and is chemical-resistant to ensure safety during storage and transportation. Its improved weight to strength performance makes pallets lighter and easier to handle and more fuel-efficient to transport. This composite pallet is made from sustainably sourced materials and all production waste will be repurposed into additional value streams.

“This composite pallet outperforms traditional pallets in terms of safety and durability because of material innovation and close collaboration between our companies,” said Scott Schlicker, Industrial Marketing Manager at BASF Performance Materials. “The synergistic partnership between BASF and Lightning Technologies was critical to making this composite pallet a reality.”

For more information on the composite pallet, please visit: http://lightningtechnologies.com

For a press photo, please click the following link:
https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2018/05/05-21-18_BASFLightningTechnologiesPallet.jpg
Suggested caption: Lightning Technologies pallet featuring Exobond™, a proprietary polyurea coating co-created with BASF.

Exobond™ is a trademark of Lightning Technologies.

 

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 18,200 employees in North America, and had sales of $17.9 billion in 2017. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The more than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.

About Lightning Technologies, LLC.

Lightning Technologies, LLC is an advanced materials and industrial technology company headquartered in Oxford, Michigan. Lightning Technologies patented proprietary coating technology, Exobond™, and associated high volume automation processes to manufacture shipping platforms constructed of engineered core materials, which are then fully encapsulated to significantly enhance the performance of the final product.  Production capabilities and product support infrastructure are available globally through a network of joint venture partners located in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. More information is available at LightningTechnologies.com.

P-US-18-061

Last Update May 21, 2018