MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has inaugurated its new production plant for mobile emissions catalysts in Sroda Slaska, a Special Economic Zone near Wroclaw, Poland, reported the company on its site.
Construction of the new 40,000 square meter manufacturing facility - BASF’s largest emissions catalysts plant in Europe - began in late 2012, supported by an initial EUR90 million investment. The plant began production trials in April 2014, and last month started up two emissions catalysts manufacturing lines, with an initial employee base of 100.
Additional expansions will follow, raising the total investment for the plant to approximately EUR150 million. Once all ten planned light duty and heavy duty catalysts production lines are operating at full capacity by 2016, BASF expects to employ more than 400 people at the Sroda Slaska site.
The emissions catalysts produced in Sroda Slaska will be used by manufacturers of light duty gasoline vehicles and light and heavy duty diesel vehicles to meet more stringent Euro 6/VI emissions regulations.
"The launch of this new production plant provides a vital addition to our global manufacturing network for innovative automotive emissions control technologies," said Kenneth Lane, President of BASF’s Catalysts division. "Tightening emissions regulations will be a key growth driver for our business. Our investment in Sroda Slaska will provide the capacity we need to meet increased customer demand in the most efficient way possible."
Among the advanced technologies that will be produced at the Sroda Slaska facility are Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems, cutting-edge SCR on Filter (SCRoF) solutions as well as PremAir-branded ozone destruction catalysts for automotive applications.
"Due to its attractive location and its positive economic development, Poland is an attractive place for BASF to invest," said Dr. Joachim Meyer, Head of BASF Business Center Europe Central. "This new facility strengthens our position as a supplier of innovative solutions to the markets of Central Europe."
As MRC wrote previously, in late 2013, BASF also unveiled it plans to modernize and expand its emissions catalyst production operation in Nienburg, Germany. Thus, according to Xavier Susterac, vice president for BASF's European mobile emissions catalysts business, the new plant in Poland will provide geographic diversity for the company's manufacturing operations and a strong complement to BASF's existing production hub in Nienburg.
BASF is the largest diversified chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF produces a wide range of chemicals, for example solvents, amines, resins, glues, electronic-grade chemicals, industrial gases, basic petrochemicals and inorganic chemicals. The most important customers for this segment are the pharmaceutical, construction, textile and automotive industries. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year.
MRC