BASF
New concept for in-house colouring of ABS / Strategic focus on “natural products”
With “Colorflexx” (www.colorflex.de), BASF AG (D-67056 Ludwigshafen) introduces a new service to enable customers to carry out their own ABS colouring in-house. In future, the plastics producer will supply standard “Terluran” (core products of the “Terluran” range: “GP-22”, “GP-35”, “HI-10”) uncoloured ABS (“natural product”), while BASF partners Albis, Clariant, Schulman and Ultrapolymers will provide customers with tailor-made colour masterbatches as well as the necessary assistance and technical support. BASF has the responsibility for the entire process. The complete ABS system is delivered within ten working days including a guaranteed troubleshooting service, which provides assistance within 24 hours. BASF points out the extremely short delivery times, the competent assistance and the keen price / performance ratio as particular advantages.
The service as well as the recent sale of the company´s “Ronfalin” speciality to the British Vita group are both part of BASF´s new strategy for ABS. In future, the largest chemical company in the world will concentrate on three modern world-scale facilities for “Terluran” in Europe, the US and Asia for the production of “natural product” (uncoloured resin). A world-scale ABS plant in Antwerp with a capacity of 200,000 t/y is planned to come on-stream by 2004. Dr. Fred Baumgartner, head of BASF´s styrenics division points to the “economies of scale” and the consistent product quality worldwide as two major advantages of the new strategy.
Colorflexx is of benefit to partners and customers alike: while BASF can maintain a cost-effective, competitive production, the masterbatch partners obtain a broader customer base in Europe with more business opportunities and customers profit from a worldwide source of consistent-quality ABS. In-house colouring offers more flexibility due to the ability to change the product colour quickly and easily, lower system costs and simplified logistics and storage. Processors are provided with the assistance and support of the system partners, a system BASF presents as a “Win-Win-Win situation”.
The service as well as the recent sale of the company´s “Ronfalin” speciality to the British Vita group are both part of BASF´s new strategy for ABS. In future, the largest chemical company in the world will concentrate on three modern world-scale facilities for “Terluran” in Europe, the US and Asia for the production of “natural product” (uncoloured resin). A world-scale ABS plant in Antwerp with a capacity of 200,000 t/y is planned to come on-stream by 2004. Dr. Fred Baumgartner, head of BASF´s styrenics division points to the “economies of scale” and the consistent product quality worldwide as two major advantages of the new strategy.
Colorflexx is of benefit to partners and customers alike: while BASF can maintain a cost-effective, competitive production, the masterbatch partners obtain a broader customer base in Europe with more business opportunities and customers profit from a worldwide source of consistent-quality ABS. In-house colouring offers more flexibility due to the ability to change the product colour quickly and easily, lower system costs and simplified logistics and storage. Processors are provided with the assistance and support of the system partners, a system BASF presents as a “Win-Win-Win situation”.
17.07.2003 Plasteurope.com [14411]
Published on 17.07.2003