OREANDA-NEWS. BASF continues to implement a series of measures within its Performance Products segment to strengthen its competitiveness. As part of its long-term pigment strategy, BASF will enhance customer focus and continue to design differentiated products in high-value applications, and optimize the global production network.

Approximately 650 positions globally will be reduced by 2017. At the same time, BASF will invest EUR250 million in the next four years in its production network as well as in research and development.

BASF will optimize its global production network for pigments. The major measures include the closure of the Paisley plant in Scotland and the restructuring of the Huningue plant in France. In addition, BASF is examining strategic options for the site in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The planned investments in the production network will further strengthen the production footprint in Asia Pacific, the fastest-growing market. This also includes the start-up and expansion of a plant for high-performance pigments at BASF's wholly-owned production site in Nanjing, China, and the expansion of the BASF pigments plant in Ulsan, Korea.

Further measures to improve the competitiveness of the Performance Products segment continue to be analyzed.