BASF opens largest surface technology site in Pinghu, China
The surface technologies global business unit of BASF's Coatings division, which operates under the Chemetall brand, celebrated the inauguration of its state-of-the-art surface technology production site in Pinghu, Zhejiang Province, China, on November 23, 2022.
The 60,000-square-meter site in Pinghu is BASF's first production site in the Dushan Port Economic Development Zone and the largest surface technology site in the world. Designed as a smart factory, the facility enables a high level of process automation and end-to-end digitization of operations for high efficiency in production and site logistics. The production site offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and solutions for applied surface technology for various market segments, for example from automotive manufacturers and components, coil coating, general industry, cold forming, aerospace, aluminum coating and glass.
"In July this year, we expanded our production capacity for automotive refinish coatings at our site in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province. Today, we are celebrating the opening of our new surface technology site in Pinghu. We are strategically close to our customers, enabling us to serve local demand with our advanced and proven solutions. We aim to be a growth-oriented leader in surface technology, providing sustainable solutions, services, expertise and innovations that support our customers in various industries and in our key growth market - China," said Uta Holzenkamp, head of BASF's Coatings division. "BASF is committed to growing in China, the world's largest chemical market. It is our strategy to produce where our customers are. The Pinghu site is another good example of our customer focus, which is reflected in the improvement of our local technology and market positions," said Jeffrey Lou, head and chairman of BASF Greater China. "Asia Pacific is the world's fastest growing market for surface technology, and China accounts for about 50 percent of the market in Asia. We believe the Chinese market will see attractive growth rates in the medium to long term. By localizing our advanced processes and solutions, such as our Oxsilan thin-film technology, we strengthen our leadership position in China and can significantly shorten delivery times for our local customers," says Christophe Cazabeau, Head of Surface Technology, Coatings division of BASF.