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This June 21, BASF commissioned the compounding plant at the corporate Schwarzheide site in Germany after its planned expansion to 70 thousand extra tons of Ultramid® polyamide (PA) and Ultradur® polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) annually.
The news sees BASF responding to the rise of demand for engineering plastics worldwide. The overall global capacity of BASF for PA / PBT compounding will as a result exceed 700 thousand tons per annum. The expanded plant will also benefit local workforce will some fifty new jobs.
Jürgen Becky, the newly appointed head of BASF Performance Materials Europe, confirms: "The bigger plant enables us to accompany our customers' growth in the long run, at the highest technical level and with the best plastics. The expanded plant represents state-of-the-art technology in the plastics market and gives us even more flexibility in our production process."
On the other hand, the extra capacity makes the worldwide production network of BASF more flexible. From now on, ever growing expectations of the automotive as for the manufacture of high-volume items can be met with more ease. The site expansion resulted in Schwarzheide having the highest PA / PBT compounding capacity within BASF.
Ultramid® and Ultradur® engineering plastics are aimed at the production of high-performance items for the electrical and electronics, automotive, construction and furniture industries. These products comprise sensors, connectors, oil pans, engine mounts, fasteners, chairs, etc.
The most recent product innovations include the specialty Ultramid® Advanced N compound, the TeamUP design chair for the future-oriented office, and the charge air duct for the new Alfa Romeo Giulia produced with the high-temperature Ultramid® Endure PA.
