BASF reorganizes its masterbatch business

* Five BASF Color Solutions companies in Europe

* Strategic focus on clearly defined market segments

* Network of locations optimizes customer service



Ludwigshafen, Germany .– BASF is reorganizing its masterbatch business in Europe. In the future, BASF’s specialists for coloring a wide variety of products made from plastics will operate under the name “BASF Color Solutions”.

A unified, pan-European structure and a more intensive exchange of the wide-ranging technical expertise that exists at the five locations in Cologne (Germany), Apeldoorn (Netherlands), Clermont (France), Kuurne (Belgium) and Cervelló (Spain) will provide the basis for an even more effective cooperation with customers. The changes to the corporate status of the five European subsidiaries will be completed by March 2008.

The business will concentrate on clearly defined market segments: packaging, construction, household products, sport and leisure, automotive applications and fibers. As a supplier focusing on specialties, BASF Color Solutions develops tailor-made solutions for the plastics processing industry in these market segments. These solutions predominately consist of color masterbatches in solid, liquid or powder preparations enhanced with additives for special properties, such as UV light stabilizers. The solutions also include tailor-made logistics concepts developed in cooperation with customers ensuring quick and reliable delivery.

BASF Color Solutions continues investing in production facilities and IT systems. The main purpose of these investments is to achieve greater flexibility in production and to ensure an even more reliable delivery from all locations. Like the other sites, the new site at Cervelló, Greater Barcelona, Spain, benefits from these investments and is able to offer its customers locally based service for their specific needs. “With our pan-European organization and by concentrating on specific market segments, we intend to become even more flexible and even more reliable as a supplier of tailor-made solutions for coloring plastics. By working together more closely at all our locations, we can provide our customers with a quick, locally based service while optimizing our production costs”, said Tobias Faupel, head of BASF Color Solutions.