Muenster, Germany
www.basf-coatings.com
PUBLIC COMPANY; YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1865
REVENUE: $4.7 billion (2022: $4.55 billion)
MARKETS SERVED:
Automotive OEM; Automotive refinish; Commercial vehicles; Decorative coatings; Surface treatments
KEY EXECUTIVES:
Uta Holzenkamp, president BASF Coatings division; Patrick Zhao, SVP, Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions; Chris Titmarsh, SVP, Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions; Marcos Allemann, VP, Decorative Paints Solutions South America; Frank Naber, SVP, Surface Treatment.
BASF Coatings, a division of BASF SE, is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries.
BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific.
In 2023, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about $4.7 billion. The company employs approximately 11,400 people globally and has more than 70 sites worldwide. This portfolio is supplemented by "Beyond Paint Solutions," which enable new applications with innovative surfaces.
The State of the Coatings Industry
Uta Holzenkamp, president BASF Coatings division:
“The automotive market has recovered in 2024, and resolved its supply chain issues from last year. As a manufacturer of solutions ranging from pre-treatment via automotive OEM coatings to refinish coatings, BASF Coatings is supplying our customers with higher volumes to meet the resulting increase in demand.
We expect moderate growth globally, with some stagnation in Europe. Our focus remains on developing and delivering winning products and services that will contribute to our customers' success now and in the future.
Sustainability is a key priority for BASF. We support our customers to meet and exceed their sustainability needs. One focus is to save energy, e.g. by reducing the baking temperature. Further examples are GLASURIT 100 Line water-based refinish coatings and the innovative Oxsilan multi-metal pretreatment process. BASF's Coatings division continuously transitions to renewable energy sources for its production sites, leverages biobased raw materials and collaborates with its suppliers to increase eco-efficiency throughout the value chains.
BASF also significantly invests in R&D to enhance the functionality of coatings, such as those solutions improving transparency for radar waves and reflection for LiDAR sensors. This enhances driver assistance systems and autonomous driving.
Looking to the future, BASF Coatings continues to leverage the opportunities of automation, digitalization, and artificial intelligence for all areas such as supply chain, production, R&D. New business models will play a significant role - and we are working closely together with our customers to shape the future of our industry.”
2023 Success Story
BASF Shanghai Coatings Minhang and Caojing sites in Shanghai, and BASF Coatings’ resin plant in Caojing, Shanghai, have announced the use of 100% renewable energy usage across its operations in 2023. This moves BASF’s Coatings division one step closer to its global sustainability targets – on carbon reduction, material efficiency, and safe and sustainable solutions.
Through combination of Renewable Direct Power Purchase (R-DPP), purchase of I-REC international renewable energy certificate and other measures, it’s estimated that BASF Automotive OEM Coatings will reduce the equivalent of approximately 19,000 tons of carbon emissions through the end of 2023 in China.
“Sustainability is firmly anchored in our company strategy. We are proud to be one of the industry leaders to fully use renewable energy across our operations. It helps us to minimize the carbon footprint and further demonstrates BASF’s commitment to its net zero target. As a leading OEM coatings supplier in the automotive industry, we aim to meet the rapidly increasing sustainability expectations of our customers from OEMs and automotive component suppliers”, said Jack Zou, vice president, Automotive OEM Coatings Asia Pacific, BASF.
BASF’s climate goal is to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25% by 2030 compared with 2018 and achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Increasing the use of renewable energy at its sites – including the headquarters in Münster, Germany – is a good example of how BASF Coatings explores innovative technologies and solutions to reduce climate impact and helps its customers to reduce the carbon footprint across the entire value chain.
