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BASF opens first Ultrason plant outside of Germany


- World class facility in Yeosu, Korea to serve growing market demand for high performance specialty plastics in Asia Pacific

- Capacity of 6,000 metric tons per year


WEBWIRE

Ludwigshafen, Germany – BASF today announced it is inaugurating a new plant in Yeosu, Korea to strengthen the supply of Ultrason® polyarylsulfone, one of the company’s high performance thermoplastics. The new plant, with an annual production capacity of 6,000 metric tons, will better serve the growing market in Asia Pacific.

“The production of our high performance plastic specialty Ultrason in Korea supports our goal to locally produce approximately 75% of all BASF products we sell in Asia Pacific by 2020, and demonstrates our commitment to this fast growing market,” said Raimar Jahn, President, Performance Materials, BASF.

The new plant is the first of its kind to be built outside of Germany and brings the company’s global capacity of Ultrason polyarylsulfone to 18,000 metric tons per year. With this investment, BASF also creates 50 new jobs at its Yeosu site.

Ultrason is widely applied in the electronics, automotive and aerospace industries for the production of heat-resistant, lightweight components. Other popular Ultrason applications include membranes for water treatment, fittings for drinking water pipelines or food contact parts as in espresso machines, or microwave-proof dishes. Ultrason is also used in the production of carbon fiber composite materials.

“The Yeosu plant brings us closer to our customers in the region and enables us to better support the growth of key local industries – partly driven by the global development of many new Ultrason applications. Another important value proposition is shorter lead times,” said WooSung Shin, Managing Director, BASF Korea.

As one of the top three electrical and electronic goods manufacturing countries in the world, Korea is well positioned to benefit from local availability and production of Ultrason. By locating the site in Yeosu, BASF will also be able to serve other major markets for Ultrason such as China and Japan.

Ultrason is the trade name for the BASF product range of polyethersulfone (Ultrason ® E), polysulfone (Ultrason ® S), and polyphenylsulfone (Ultrason ® P). The product can withstand temperatures up to 220 degrees centigrade without altering its properties, and possesses outstanding chemical stability.

About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com




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