• New facility will support growing demand for BASF’s Infinergy® E-TPU from multiple industries
• Expanded global footprint to better serve customers in Asia Pacific

Changhua, Taiwan – September 21, 2018 – BASF, inventor of the world’s first Expanded Thermoplastic Polyurethane (E-TPU) Infinergy®, has launched a new Infinergy production facility at its Changhua manufacturing site in Taiwan. The expanded capacity will meet growing demand for the revolutionary material solution across a variety of applications and industries.

“The Changhua production site will play a key role in helping us to meet the rising demand for E-TPU,” said Jens Dierssen, Head of Global Business Management Infinergy, BASF. “With the new production facility, we are expanding our global footprint to better serve customers within the Asia Pacific region.”

“This investment reflects our commitment to the market, providing efficient production, timely qualification process to meet the growing market demands and customer needs. We are now even closer to the market and our customers, ” added Kin Wah Chay, Managing Director of BASF Taiwan.

The closed-cell, elastic particle foam has a unique blend of properties, such as high rebound, low density, durability over a wide temperature range, chemical resistance and low weight. This innovation is widely used in the transportation, furniture, construction and sports equipment, such as a bicycle saddle created by Ergon, a cycling innovation company based in Koblenz, Germany.

Ergon’s bicycle saddles are comprised of two shells functioning in isolation from each other in a sandwich construction, held in a floating arrangement by the high-performance elastomer damper made of Infinergy.

In a three-wheeled concept vehicle, 05GEN from Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., BASF’s Infinergy was used in the tires to enhance the overall riding experience, and its characteristic cellular structure contributed to its striking design.

The material has also been adopted in construction, providing a safer and improved sporting experience on running track and playing fields, owing to the outstanding cushioning effect of the E-TPU particles.

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About BASF’s Performance Materials division

BASF’s Performance Materials division encompasses the entire materials know-how of BASF regarding innovative, customized plastics under one roof. Globally active in four major industry sectors – transportation, construction, industrial applications and consumer goods – the division has a strong portfolio of products and services combined with a deep understanding of application-oriented system solutions. Key drivers of profitability and growth are our close collaboration with customers and a clear focus on solutions. Strong capabilities in R&D provide the basis to develop innovative products and applications. In 2017, the Performance Materials division achieved global sales of € 7.7 bn. More information online: www.performance-materials.basf.com

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 115,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of €64.5 billion in 2017. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at: www.basf.com