Heavy! The world-class giant BASF announced its permanent relocation to China! -Kain Chemicals

Recently, it was reported that BASF, the largest chemical company in Germany, announced that it would permanently relocate its business to China. The company cited rising energy costs in Europe and China's vast market as reasons.

BASF is one of the "Big Three" in the German chemical manufacturing industry. Its predecessor was the "Baden Aniline Alkali Works" founded by Engelhorn in Mannheim, a small town in southwestern Germany in 1865. Today, it is a comprehensive chemical manufacturing enterprise with chemicals as its core business.

The company's business consists of five parts: plastic products, performance chemicals, functional chemicals, agricultural chemicals, and oil and gas products.

BASF’s relationship with China dates back to 1885. It is said that a man named Theodore Sprueser traveled thousands of miles to convince the Chinese people to believe in the advantages of BASF’s dyes, which led to the relationship between BASF and China.

In 1992, BASF established its first plant in Nanjing, China. So far, BASF has 28 major wholly-owned subsidiaries, 7 major joint ventures, and 24 major joint ventures in Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongqing and Zhanjiang. Sales offices, China has become BASF's second largest market in the world.

Main production bases of BASF in Greater China:

Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Innovation Park

Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Innovation Park is the largest R&D base of BASF in the Asia-Pacific region and also the global headquarters of BASF's advanced materials and systems research technology platform. Completed in November 2012, the second-phase expansion was completed in November 2015. In 2021, BASF officially launched the third-phase construction of the Shanghai Innovation Park. By the end of 2021, there will be a total of nine production units and one waste water treatment unit.

Products: new materials including Ultramid® (polyamide, PA), Ultradur® (polybutylene terephthalate, PBT), polyurethane composites, Elastollan® thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), Cellasto® microcellular polyurethane Elastomers, acrylic dispersions and polymer colorants, detergents, metal complex dyes, leather auxiliaries, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), 3D printing materials, automotive emission catalysts and more.

Shanghai Caojing Base

BASF Shanghai Caojing Base was established in 2002 and is one of the three major production bases of BASF Germany in China. BASF owns a wholly-owned company (BASF Chemical Co., Ltd.) in Shanghai Chemical Industry Zone, and jointly built three companies with Huntsman, Shanghai Huayi (Group) Company, Shanghai Chlor-Alkali Chemical Co., Ltd., and Sinopec Shanghai Gaoqiao Branch. Joint venture (BASF Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd., Shanghai Lianheng Isocyanate Co., Ltd. and Shanghai BASF Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) to produce diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI).

Also at this base, BASF also independently operates a polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF) plant, an important raw material for the production of elastic fibers, and a polyisocyanate (Basonat) plant for the coatings and furniture paint industries. Another set of equipment mainly produces industrial precious metal refining, salts and solutions, and mainly provides support for BASF's motor vehicle emission catalyst production facility in Shanghai. 16 production units in operation by the end of 2021

Products: Polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF®), Toluene Diisocyanate (TDI), Diphenylmethane Diisocyanate (MDI), Polyisocyanate (Basonat®), Precious Metal Salts and Solutions, Automotive Coatings, Resins and Electrocoats, Polyamide polymers, process catalysts, antioxidants, etc.

Chongqing Base

BASF wholly-owned diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) production base.

Product: Diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), with an annual output of 400,000 tons.

Nanjing Integrated Base (Verbund)

The integrated comprehensive production base invested and built by BASF Group and Sinopec according to the 50:50 share ratio, the sales volume in 2021: approximately 3.6 billion euros, and a total of 33 production units will be in operation by the end of 2021. On April 28, 2022, the foundation stone was laid for the expansion project of Sinopec and BASF's integrated production base in Nanjing. The expansion and new equipment will be put into operation by the end of 2023.

Products: LDPE, ethylene-vinyl acetate, ethylene glycol, polystyrene, acrylic acid and acrylate esters, nonionic surfactants, superabsorbent polymers, n-butanol, isobutanol, 2- Propyl-heptanol, butadiene, polyisobutylene, etc.

Nanjing Base

BASF wholly-owned production base, the products include water treatment monomers, amine products and coating additives, etc., as of the end of 2021, a total of nine production units will be in operation.

Products: acrylamide, quaternary ammonium salt compounds, anionic flocculant, cationic flocculant, tert-butylamine, N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propylenediamine, polyetheramine, n-octylamine, 1, 2 - Propylenediamine, new additive for paints, inks, coatings, adhesives.

Zhanjiang Integrated Base (under construction)

BASF Zhanjiang Integrated Base is located on Donghai Island in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province. The planned area of ​​the project is about 9 square kilometers, and the total investment is expected to reach US$10 billion. Zhanjiang Integrated Base is BASF's largest plant so far��'s overseas investment projects, which are independently constructed and operated by BASF.

After completion, the base will become BASF's third largest integrated production base in the world, second only to Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium. The first batch of devices in the project will produce engineering plastics and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), providing materials for the fields of automobiles, electronic products and new energy vehicles. The first device of the Zhanjiang Integrated Base will be officially put into operation on September 6, 2022. The entire integrated base is expected to be completed in 2030.