BASF expands scope of innovation in Asia Pacific

Chemical supplier BASF is “substantially expanding” the scope of its research and development capabilities in Asia Pacific, as part of its goal to locate approximately one-quarter of its global R&D activities in that region.

Further to that goal, the company inaugurated the second phase of its Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in early November, a 90 million euro expansion located at BASF’s Greater China headquarters in Pudong, Shanghai.

“The new facilities will enable BASF to better serve growth industries such as automotive, construction, health and nutrition, and home and personal care in the region,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, a member of BASF’s Board of Executive Directors and responsible for the Asia Pacific region. “As part of the expansion, a design center will be established to combine diverse competencies in the area of design-related materials and services, supporting active customer collaboration in this region.”

Researchers at the Innovation Campus are already bringing new applications to the region that serve the needs of local markets, BASF said. “One example is new utility poles developed at the site, made with BASF’s polyurethane system Elastolit together with local customers,” the company said. “Based on filament winding technology, the utility poles are at least 2.5 times more wind-resistant than concrete utility poles, but weigh only 250 kg each, about one-fourth the weight of concrete poles. In 2014, when typhoon Rammasun hit Guangdong province, they proved their superior wind resistance when more than 70,000 concrete and metal utility poles were destroyed while the polyurethane poles remained standing.”

Another part of BASF’s Asia Pacific strategy is the establishment in Shanghai, effective January 1, 2016, of the headquarters of the company’s Advanced Materials & Systems Research global platform.

Additionally, BASF is investing approximately 50 million euros to construct a new Innovation Campus in Navi Mumbai, India, which will be operational in 2017. The facility will accommodate around 300 scientists investigating such areas as crop protection, process development, and polymer research, BASF said.