BASF to Close Production of Azo Pigments at Louisville Site
FLORHAM PARK, NJ, April 12, 2010 - BASF today announced that production of azo pigments at its Louisville, Kentucky site will be transferred to Paisley, Great Britain, and Ulsan, Korea beginning in 2011.
"The transfer of production of azo pigments from Louisville to Paisley and Ulsan is part of a global restructuring of BASF's pigment portfolio and manufacturing network," said Uwe Liebelt, Group Vice President, Dispersions & Pigments, for BASF in North America. "Following recent strategic acquisitions, we conducted an extensive analysis of our pigments business, and determined that changes were necessary to position our business for sustainable success."
The consolidation of BASF's pigment portfolio and manufacturing network, which especially affects azo pigments, phthalocyanines and complex inorganic color pigments, will begin this year and is targeted to be completed by 2013. The program will focus on product transfers and the consolidation of manufacturing activities around the globe, and more than half of BASF's 22 pigment sites worldwide will be directly affected, including Louisville and the Elyria, Ohio, facility in North America.
"By transferring the azo pigments production to Paisley and Ulsan, we will eliminate overcapacities, and make use of the better cost structures in Ulsan and the flexible and highly automated production line for high-volume azo products in Paisley," said Liebelt.
Production of liquid pigment preparations, which are used in the decorative coatings industries, will continue at the Louisville site.
"With these changes, BASF intends to strengthen its position as a leading supplier of pigments with the broadest portfolio and outstanding customer service worldwide. We combine a comprehensive know-how of pigments with a unique expertise of formulations and application technologies. This enables us to help our customers to be successful with innovative pigment products that meet market demands," said Liebelt.
BASF - The Chemical Company.
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has approximately 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $13 billion in 2009. For more information about BASF's North American operations, or to sign up to receive news releases by e-mail, visit www.basf.com/usa.
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner, BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges, such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than 50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
