BASF Concentrates European Production of Paper Coating Dispersions in Ludwigshafen and Hamina

 

BASF announced this week it will concentrate the production of paper coating dispersions in Europe at two sites, the Ludwigshafen Verbund site and the Hamina site in Finland. The goal is to strengthen BASF’s ability to compete in the challenging market environment of paper coating dispersions in the long term.

As a result of this decision, BASF SE has signed a contract with Synthomer Austria GmbH, a subsidiary of the British specialty chemicals manufacturer Synthomer plc, for the sale of the BASF production site for styrene butadiene dispersions for paper coating in Pischelsdorf, Austria. The buyer will take over 42 employees at the site. The transaction requires authorization by the relevant merger control authorities and is expected to be completed by late January 2018.

In future, BASF will supply customers for styrene butadiene dispersions in Europe from existing production capacities at the sites in Ludwigshafen and Hamina. Furthermore, paper dispersion production will continue without changes in the other BASF production

sites for paper coating dispersions in the EMEA region, i.e. Gebze, Turkey and Durban, South Africa.

The styrene acrylic dispersions that are currently produced in Pischelsdorf are not included in the sale. The respective production will also be concentrated in Ludwigshafen.

"This decision helps us improve our competitiveness and creates the conditions necessary to offer products and services to our customers at attractive terms in the future. We will continue to supply our Austrian paper customers with the usual range of styrene butadiene and styrene acrylic dispersions combined with technical on-site services and optimized logistics," says Professor Thomas Schiele, Vice President Paper Coating Chemicals Europe at BASF. "At the same time, we are pleased that Synthomer, an experienced producer of dispersions, wants to further develop the site."

Paper dispersions are applied to paper together with other additives and pigments to improve such properties as the print quality of graphic paper as well as packaging paper and cardboard.

As a leading supplier of paper chemicals BASF offers, besides styrene butadiene and styrene acrylic dispersions for paper coating, a broad portfolio of customer-focused solutions and chemicals for the paper and packaging industry. These product lines for the production and coating of paper and cardboard are not affected by the decision.