New technical centre of BASF Shanghai Coatings opens

• New technical centre provides total solutions for automotive OEM customers, covering the whole process from colour creation to product launch
• The e-coat application technology centre has been newly built to improve technical competence and application engineering capability
• BASF Shanghai Coatings Minhang site achieves another milestone to better serve the customers in China

BASF Shanghai Coatings (BSC) announced the opening of its new technical centre building at the BSC Minhang site. As one of the key highlights of the Minhang extension project, the launch of the technical center building marks another milestone. With the brand-new outlook, BSC will better serve automotive OEM customers in China with its technology, products and services.

Equipped with advanced laboratory facilities and a team of highly qualified and experienced staff, the new technical centre building can provide customers with total solutions covering whole process from colour design, styling and matching, to product development and launch based on its “colour + innovation” studio. With the new set up, it will create high quality colours, greatly reduce product development time and improve overall work efficiency. The e-coat application technology centre is newly built to enhance technical competence and application engineering capability. The e-coat application laboratory and pilot plant are able to offer product approval, quality conduct and process compatibility tests, while supporting customers on parameter adjustment, as well as process and engineering optimisation via bath and engineering simulation.

“I am very excited to celebrate the opening of the new technical centre of BASF Shanghai Coatings and witness the completion of the Minhang extension project”, said Dr. Jeffrey Jianfeng Lou, President and Chairman, BASF Greater China. “This new technical centre will further strengthen BASF’s innovation capabilities and increase the synergy between our research efforts in China, enabling us to offer better coating solutions to our customers in China.”

“The BSC Minhang site is always of strategic importance to BASF’s Coatings division. In this rapidly developing automotive market, the new technical centre will improve our technical capability and enhance our innovation advantage, helping our automotive customers stand out in the competitive industry,” said Jack Zou, Vice President, Automotive OEM Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific, BASF.

The Minhang extension project was started in 2020, including the upgrade of a comprehensive office building, a technical centre building, the e-coat application technology centre and the newly established Chemetall regional R&D centre. The expanded Minhang site will become a production site with major focus on coatings and surface treatment development, bringing development, technical services and salespeople closer together to form the best team for OEM customers and jointly promote the innovative and sustainable development of the automotive coatings industry. BASF’s Coatings division operates production sites, technical labs and R&D centres in all regions to increase customer collaboration and provide OEMs with product solutions tailor-made for their individual needs.