BASF SE : BASF restructures its fuel cell systems business

• BASF to exit membrane electrode assemblies business at BASF Fuel Cell, Inc. in Somerset, New Jersey

• Focus on catalysts and absorbents for fuel cell systems in the Catalysts division

FLORHAM PARK, NJ, August 1, 2013 -- BASF is restructuring its fuel cell systems activities and will focus on catalysts and absorbents for fuel cells in the future. As a result, BASF Fuel Cell, Inc., Somerset, New Jersey, will be closed on August 1, 2013. The site produces membrane electrode assemblies for high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell systems. The closing of the Somerset production site affects about 25 employees.

In the future BASF will focus on activities in the field of catalysts and absorbents for fuel cells. These activities are run out of BASF's Catalysts division. The company expects the market for electrical and reformer catalysts and for different fuel cell technologies to grow substantially going forward.

BASF - The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,600 employees in North America, and had sales of $18.5 billion in 2012. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

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. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.