• Joint projects with customers, universities tackle challenges of rapidly changing consumer needs

  • Solutions for more comfortable cars that use less energy, for consumer product safety, for buildings with better environmental performance, and for industry efficiency

  • Intensified R&D activities in Asia Pacific through collaboration with universities

  • BASF at Chinaplas 2014: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Hall N1, Booth B41, Shanghai, China, April 23-26, 2014

Shanghai, China - April 14, 201 4 - BASF and its customers are innovating with plastics solutions in Asia Pacific to address the sustainability challenges of the region and the world. At Chinaplas 2014, BASF will demonstrate solutions that help local and international companies compete in areas such as lightweight solutions that improve automotive fuel efficiency and comfort; consumer product safety; buildings with better environmental performance; and manufacturing efficiency, which is enhanced through accelerated polymer densification and other process innovations.

Dr. Zheng Daqing, Senior Vice President Business & Market Development Greater China, BASF, said, "Rapidly changing consumer needs in China and other emerging markets, the result of fast urbanization and growing disposable income, are creating challenges in areas such as energy use, consumer product safety, and waste management. With the latest plastics solutions, we are collaborating with our customers on innovations to address these challenges that are developed in Asia Pacific, for Asia Pacific and the world."

BASF solutions to support customer innovation

At Chinaplas 2014, for the first time BASF will reveal their latest concept for car seats, developed in collaboration with AP Solutions, a Korean design and engineering agency specialized in the automotive industry. Taking design trends and regional market needs into account, BASF materials were used in an innovative way to allow weight and space savings as well as unique styling possibilities to enable maximum design freedom for slimmer, lighter and more comfortable car seats. In line with the design approach of "today, tomorrow, future", BASF will also exhibit the extraordinary "Leaf" design car seat by Song Wei Teo. The design won the first prize in the international BASF seat design competition "sit down. move" and shows a car seat made in just a single piece.

To enable greater productivity and energy savings in the plastics industry, BASF will introduce additives that allow faster roto molding cycle for polymer densification. Polyethylene stabilized with Irganox® CB Roto promotes densification of the polymer during molding and enables the production of products with high impact properties after shorter heating times and lower oven temperatures.

Showcasing the world's first co-extruded PVC-PBT window profile, BASF will also launch the latest innovation in its Ultradur® (Polybutylene Terephthalate) product range. This new grade can be co-extruded with PVC (Polyvinylchloride) and hence optimizes the manufacturing process of window profiles. Replacing steel as reinforcement in window profiles, the lightweight Ultradur® eliminates cold bridge effects and significantly increases energy efficiency while at the same time adding comparable durability and strength.

BASF research and development for the region

BASF is also enhancing new technologies and materials for plastics solutions by strengthening its research and development capacity. This month, BASF established the research initiative "Network for Advanced Materials Open Research" (NAO) at its Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Shanghai together with seven leading universities and research institutes in China, Japan and South Korea. The Beijing University of Chemical Technology, the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Fudan University, Hanyang University, Kyoto University and Tsinghua University are participating in the initiative. The initial focus is on products for the automotive, construction, as well as the water and wind energy industries . BASF has also launched similar initiatives in Europe and North America.

Additionally, one year after its inauguration, the BASF Innovation Campus Asia Pacific in Pudong, Shanghai, now houses integrated research and development (R&D) teams, business teams, and manufacturing plants for major products. The Innovation Campus is home to 16 R&D units and further expansion of the facility is also planned. BASF plans to conduct one quarter of its research activities in Asia Pacific by 2020.

For further information: visit us online at http://chinaplas.basf.com or join the conversation via the WeChat account BASF_in_action:

About BASF Greater China

BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. With major investments in Nanjing, Shanghai and Chongqing, BASF is one of the largest foreign investors in the Chinese chemical industry, and maintains the BASF Asia Pacific Innovation Campus in Shanghai as a research and development hub for the Asia Pacific region. In Greater China, BASF posted sales of over €5.48 billion in 2013 and employed 7,606 people as of the end of that year. For further information, please visit www.greater-china.basf.com .

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 about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 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 atwww.basf.com .
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