Shanghai, CHINA, May 8, 2008 – BASF’s Construction Chemicals Business today opened a new concrete admixture plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The facility has been established to manufacture advanced concrete admixtures to benefit customers in central China’s major provinces including Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi.
Located in Wu Han Dun Kou Economy and Development Zone, the Wuhan plant produces BASF’s full portfolio of concrete admixtures, including the high-end GLENIUM and RHEOPLUS ranges, which enable ready-mix concrete producers to improve concrete strength and workability, thus contributing to construction durability and efficiency.
“The opening of the Wuhan plant represents a key step forward to expanding our business in China,” said Huang Xu, General Manager of BASF’s Construction Chemicals Greater China.
Wuhan government is planning to invest RMB 30 billion (approximately €2.8 billion) on infrastructure construction in 2008, an increase of 32 percent compared with 2007. The investment is estimated to top RMB 200 billion (€18.5 billion) by 2011. “This production site in central China will increase our capabilities to serve the fast-growing infrastructure construction sector and offer state-of-the-art products and services, for example for ports, bridges, subways and tunnels,” Huang continued.
One significant project in which BASF is involved in Wuhan is the Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge, which, with a main span of 504 meters, is the world's largest rail-cum-road cable-stayed bridge. This is also expected to be the world’s first bridge to withstand a load of 20,000 tons when it is completed by the end of 2008.
“The Wuhan plant allows us to tailor high performance admixtures to speed up the bridge’s construction and to simultaneously ensure safety and durability. Close customer proximity also enables us to efficiently solve application challenges arising from specific on-site conditions,” Huang added.
As a leading chemical company committed to environment, health, safety and sustainability, BASF has adopted world-class manufacturing processes at the Wuhan admixture plant and complies with local environmental regulations.
BASF’s Construction Chemicals business has been active in concrete admixture production in China since 1988 and the launch of the Wuhan plant marks the eleventh construction chemicals production facility in the country.
About BASF’s Construction Chemicals Division
BASF’s Construction Chemicals division is the leading supplier of chemical systems and formulations for the construction industry. Continuous innovation and tailor-made solutions ensure its customers are more successful. Its Admixture Systems strategic business unit specifically helps customers in the ready-mix, pre-cast and manufactured concrete and underground construction industries. The Construction Systems strategic business unit offers a wide range of products for sports and industrial flooring, external renders and wall insulation, expansion joints and wood preservatives, as well as specialist repair mortars, tile adhesives and waterproofing membranes. The division operates production sites and sales centers in more than 50 countries and regions and achieved sales of €2.1 billion with approximately 7,100 employees in 2007. With a strong presence in China for 20 years, BASF’s Construction Chemicals has been recognized as a reliable partner in the industry and has contributed to many prestigious projects, including Taipei 101, Hangzhou Bay Bridge, Three Gorges Dam and China High-speed Railway, among others. For further information, please visit www.ap.cc.basf.com
About BASF Greater China
BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. It is one of the biggest foreign investors in the Chinese chemical industry. The company currently has more than 6,000 employees and operates 23 wholly-owned subsidiaries and 10 joint ventures. In 2007, BASF achieved sales of about €4.4 billion in Greater China. For further information, please visit www.greater-china.basf.com
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF helps 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 has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost €58 billion in 2007. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com