BASF to Produce Styrene Acrylic Dispersions at its Plant in Huizhou, China

Huizhou, China -- BASF, the worlds leading chemical company, inaugurated its new dispersions plant in Daya Bay Petrochemical Industrial Park in Huizhou, China. The new plant will produce styrene butadiene (XSB) dispersions and styrene acrylic (SA) dispersions. XSB dispersions are mainly used as coating binders for paper, while SA dispersions are used in paint and coatings, printing and packaging, construction materials and adhesives.

Dr. Zheng Daqing, Senior Vice President, BASF Group and member of Greater China Country Board; Deng Qingzhong, Huizhou Vice Mayor; Dr. Uwe Liebelt, President, BASF Paper Chemicals; at the opening ceremony of BASF Paper Chemicals (Huizhou) Co., Ltd.

The new plant in Huizhou, together with BASFs existing eight dispersions plants located in China, Indonesia, India, Japan and Australia will expand BASFs regional manufacturing footprint and dispersions capacity. It will meet the growing demands of key customers who serve Asias fast growing consumer markets.

"Our new operations in Huizhou bring us closer to the market, especially in South China. We are well-positioned to support our customers strong growth in particular the packaging segment. It marks another significant milestone for BASFs commitment to the paper industry, producing innovative paper chemistry solutions in Asia for Asia. We will grow our business further with the potential to expand when the market demands for it," said Heng Lin, Senior Vice President, Paper Chemicals Asia Pacific.

"This new dispersions plant strengthens our commitment to the fast growing paint and coatings market in China, and the increased capacity helps to expand the local production network. BASF will continue to strengthen the Research and Development footprint in China that equips us with more resources to develop innovative products to tap into additional market opportunities." said Gops Pillay, Senior Vice President, Dispersions & Pigments, Asia Pacific.

Designed to world-class standards, the new plant stands to gain production efficiencies due to the close proximity to critical raw materials. It also provides efficiencies in terms of energy, water and resource conservation through advanced technological design and production systems. As the worlds leading supplier of chemicals to the paper as well as paint and coatings industries, BASF offers products that will help customers strengthen their competitive advantage in these challenging industries.

About BASFs Paper Chemicals division

BASFs Paper Chemicals division offers process chemicals to optimize costs and increase machine efficiency, functional chemicals to lend specific properties to paper, and finishing chemicals to improve the appearance and performance characteristics of printed paper and board. With this comprehensive portfolio, BASF is the leading supplier of paper chemicals worldwide. BASF established Paper Chemicals as a separate division when it acquired Ciba in April 2009. The ISO 9001-certified Paper Chemicals division operates sites in Europe, Asia and the Americas. For more information, go to www.paper-chemicals.basf.com.

About BASFs Dispersions and Pigments division

BASF is the leading global supplier of raw materials for the coatings and paint industry. The division Dispersions & Pigments combines all BASF offerings towards this industry. The portfolio encompasses pigments, resins, dispersions and a broad range of additives like light stabilizers and photo-initiators. Further end-use industries include construction materials, adhesives, printing and packaging. Our portfolio is focused on environmentally friendly systems, such as low-VOC water-based coatings.

About BASF Greater China

BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. With major investments in Nanjing, Shanghai and Chongqing, BASF is one of the largest foreign investors in the Chinese chemical industry, and is developing an Innovation Campus in Shanghai as a research and development hub for the Asia Pacific region. In Greater China, BASF posted sales of ?.5 billion in 2011 and employed approximately 7,770 people as of end of that year. The company operates 28 BASF wholly owned subsidiaries and 17 BASF joint ventures in Greater China.

About BASF

BASF is the worlds leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. It combines economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation the company enables its customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Its products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. BASF posted sales of about ?3.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS) London (BFA) and Zurich (AN).

Source: BASF