OREANDA-NEWS. BASF is investing around €7 million to expand and optimize the resin production at its Munster site. Resin is an important intermediate for the production of all paint materials. The capacity expansion supports the company's plans for growth.

"With this investment, we are primarily strengthening the competitiveness of the Munster site," explained Dr. Walter Jouck, head of Operations Coatings Europe at BASF. "Our resin competence is an important competitive edge and by expanding the resin capacity, we are adapting to the future market development. We will be able to serve our customers more flexibly, especially those from the automotive industry."

The investment in resin production will result in an expansion of the production capacity and, thanks to a better heating technique, it will also contribute to a significant improvement of the environmental performance. The energy efficiency for heat generation and the exhaust gas combustion will be increased.

The investments are scheduled to be completed in 2016. At present, BASF is also building a new resin plant in Shanghai to meet the growing demand for automotive OEM coatings in Asia Pacific.

The resins produced by BASF are integral components of industrial and automotive OEM coatings and automotive refinish products. As binders, they contribute to good adhesion, gloss and scratch resistance of the coating. Resins also provide corrosion protection and weather resistance for BASF's products.