OREANDA-NEWS. BASF today inaugurated its new Ultramid(r) (polyamide 6 and 6/6.6) polymerization plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The new plant, with a capacity of 100,000 metric tons per year, will further strengthen BASF's local production and supply network and better serve the growing market in Asia Pacific.

"This is the first investment in polyamide polymerization for BASF in Asia Pacific and shows our strong commitment to this market. The innovative production setup enables us to respond to our customers' needs even quicker with more flexibility," said Dr. Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF.

"The demand for polyamide products in the engineering plastics, fiber and film industries will continue to grow strongly, particularly in China. With the local production facility, we are well-positioned to support our customers' strong growth and help them to develop innovative products for tapping into market opportunities," said Dr. Albert Heuser, President Functions Asia Pacific, President and Chairman Greater China, BASF.

The BASF wholly-owned plant was built at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Caojing which is also home to a world-scale facility for integrated isocyanates, operated by BASF and partners. At this location, BASF also has production plants for polytetrahydrofuran (PolyTHF) and polyisocyanate (Basonat(r)) for the coatings and furniture finishing industry, precious metal solutions for automotive catalysts, and an automotive coatings plant operated by BASF's joint-venture company, BASF Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd.