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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Germany-based chemical
giant BASF has opened its ASEAN Technical Development Center adjacent to its
existing polyurethane (PU) system house at its Bangpoo site in Thailand, said Canplastics.
In
a news release, BASF said the new facility houses a state-of-the-art pre-polymer
reactor technology to produce hardeners (component B) that are keys component to
boost product development efficiency, thereby enabling faster time-to-market of
PU materials and solutions.
The advanced reactor technology is further
designed to deliver on a much larger capacity, meeting most demanding customer
requirements across all grades. The new pre-polymer reactor technology is
additionally capable of developing customized PU System products, which helps
improve the commercialization of these specialized solutions.
"The ASEAN
Technical Development Center also boasts several new service upgrades, such as
more advanced testing and software capabilities,” BASF said. “With the new
pre-polymer reactor technology, the ASEAN Technical Center strengthens and
complements our technical support network in China, Korea, and
Germany."
“Through the ASEAN Technical Development Center, we are better
positioned to support our customers and help them capitalize on growth
opportunities in ASEAN across key industries and applications,” said Andy
Postlethwaite, senior vice president, performance materials Asia Pacific, BASF.
“Together with the expanded polyurethane system house, we are demonstrating our
commitment to ASEAN, with even more reliable supply, as well as technical
expertise and innovation capabilities."
BASF previously increased the
production capacity of its polyurethane system house in Bangpoo as part of a
move to better meet the growing demand across automotive, consumer,
construction, and industrial markets in ASEAN. With a total production area of
2,700 m2, the redesigned system house includes additional mixing vessels,
reactors, and storage tanks.
The ASEAN car market by production volume
continues to grow with differentiated products and emerging applications, BASF
said. “Thailand and Indonesia are among the largest automotive industries in
Southeast Asia, while Vietnam is already one of the world’s largest footwear
exporters, and its industry is expected to grow as more manufacturers are
relocating their manufacturing base there,” the company added.
As per
MRC, BASF announced
that the implementation of the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)
capacity increase programme for production facilities at its Verbund site in
Geismar, LA, USA, is progressing on schedule. Over time, the company
targets to double the capacity from 300,000 t/y to approximately 600,000 t/y.
BASF said with this stepwise capacity addition, it will support the ongoing
growth of its North American MDI customers.
As MRC reported earlier,
nn 17 December, 2020, BASF opened its ASEAN Technical Development Center
adjacent to its existing polyurethane (PU) System House at Bangpoo site in
Thailand. The new facility houses a state-of-the-art pre-polymer reactor
technology to produce a hardener (component B) - a key component to boost
product development efficiency, thereby enabling faster time-to-market of PU
materials and solutions.
We remind that German
chemicals maker BASF said in early November it had put a project to build a
petrochemicals complex in India worth up to USD4 billion on hold due to the
economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. BASF signed a memorandum
of understanding with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Adani Group and
Borealis AG in October 2019 to evaluate a collaboration to build the chemical
site in Mundra, in India’s Gujarat state.
Ethylene and propylene are
feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene
(PP).
According to MRC's DataScope report, PE
imports to Russia decreased in January-November 2020 by 17% year on year and
reached 569,900 tonnes. High density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the
greatest reduction in imports. At the same time, PP imports into Russia
increased by 21% year on year to about 202,000 tonnes in the first eleven months
of 2020. Propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) accounted for the main increase
in imports.
BASF is the leading chemical company. It 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. |
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