BASF to Build New Emulsion Polymers Plant in Texas

BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany, will build a new production plant for emulsion polymers at its integrated "Verbund" site in Freeport, Texas, USA. The new plant will allow BASF to better serve the coatings, construction, adhesives, and paper industries by expanding the network of manufacturing locations and improve the backward integration of raw materials used in production. To startup in mid-2014, the new plant will create some 25 new jobs at the Freeport site.

"The new plant strengthens our position as a leading supplier of emulsions in North America and demonstrates our commitment to customers in the coatings, construction, adhesives, and paper industries," said Derek Fairclough, SVP, Dispersions and Pigments, for BASF in North America. "This investment further supports our business growth strategy, especially in architectural coatings, where we are targeting significant growth with our range of innovative products and solutions."

The plant will manufacture acrylic emulsion polymers used for architectural coatings, construction chemicals, adhesives, and the paper chemicals industry.

"This investment demonstrates BASF's commitment to the regional market demand by paper and board manufacturers for these materials and supports our global strategy to be the preferred supplier of polymer emulsions for the coated paper and board markets," said Chuck Schmidt, SVP, Paper Chemicals, for BASF in North America.

BASF currently operates three emulsion polymer plants in North America: Monaca, Pa.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Altamira, Mexico. Building a plant in Texas broadens the supply network to better serve all of the company's customers from a manufacturing location in the central-southern U.S.

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