BASF Opens World-Scale Chemical Catalysts Plant in China

BASF SE has officially opened its new, world-scale chemical catalysts manufacturing plant in Caojing, Shanghai, China. The new plant is BASF’s first chemical catalysts manufacturing facility in the Asia Pacific region.

The BASF wholly-owned plant is located in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) in Caojing. It will serve the growing chemical industry in China and around the Asia Pacific region, with base metal catalysts and absorbents. The plant will be highly automated and energy efficient.

Leveraging experience from the eleven chemical catalyst manufacturing sites around the world, the new plant will use cutting-edge production technologies to manufacture innovative catalysts and adsorbents.

The new site will be supported by the new process catalyst R&D centre, located within the BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Pudong, Shanghai, which is focusing on the development of new process catalyst to meet specific needs in Asia.

“The start of our new, world-scale production plant for chemical catalysts in Shanghai represents a milestone for our process catalysts business. 60 percent of the world’s chemical production will happen in Asia by 2020, with more than half of this in China,” said Detlef Ruff, BASF’s senior vice president, process catalysts.

“In combination with the BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Shanghai, we can now offer our customers regional specific development and production of the latest catalyst technologies. The plant also offers potential for additional expansion as well as flexibility to adapt to new customer production requirements in the years to come,” added Ruff.

“Together with our partners, BASF has invested CNY 19.7 billion as of the end of 2016 (approximately €2.5 billion) in state-of-the-art production located in Caojing. Our solutions improve efficiency and sustainability in the chemical industry and other industries, and reduce reliance on imports, thus enhancing competitiveness of our customers in light of supply-side reform,” said Dr Stephan Kothrade, president functions Asia Pacific, president and chairman greater China, BASF.