BASF strengthens network of admixture systems plants in China

* First facility in Hubei province, central China

* Infrastructure projects offer significant growth potential



Shanghai, CHINA. – BASF today opened a new concrete admixture plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The facility has been established to manufacture advanced concrete admixtures to benefit customers in central China’s major provinces including Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi.

Located in Wu Han Dun Kou Economy and Development Zone, the Wuhan plant produces BASF’s full portfolio of concrete admixtures, including the high-end GLENIUM® and RHEOPLUS® ranges, which enable ready-mix concrete producers to improve concrete strength and workability, thus contributing to construction durability and efficiency.

“The opening of the Wuhan plant represents a key step forward to expanding our business in China,” said Xu Huang, General Manager of BASF’s Construction Chemicals Greater China. “This production site in central China will increase our capabilities to serve the fast-growing infrastructure construction sector and offer state-of-the-art products and services, for example for ports, bridges, subways and tunnels,” Xu Huang continued.

Wuhan government is planning to invest approximately €2.8 billion (RMB 30 billion) on infrastructure construction in 2008, an increase of 32 percent compared with 2007. The investment is estimated to top €18.5 billion (RMB 200 billion) by 2011.

One significant project in which BASF is involved in Wuhan is the Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge, which, with a main span of 504 meters, is the world’s largest rail-cum-road cable-stayed bridge.

“The Wuhan plant allows us to tailor high performance admixtures to speed up the bridge’s construction and to simultaneously ensure safety and durability,” Xu Huang added.

BASF’s Construction Chemicals business has been active in concrete admixture production in China since 1988 and the launch of the Wuhan plant marks the eleventh construction chemicals production facility in the country.