BASF SE (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) is reorganising its masterbatch activities to concentrate on clearly defined market segments and emphasise cooperation across its European sites. In future, the business with colouring plastics will be known as "BASF Color Solutions". Its new pan-European structure and a “more intensive” exchange of its “wide-ranging technical expertise” will allow “more effective” cooperation with customers, the group said. Along with continuing to provide individual tailor-made solutions, BASF said it also hopes to improve its own production cost structure.

The BASF plastics colouring specialists based at Cologne / Germany, Apeldoorn / The Netherlands, Clermont / France, Kuurne / Belgium and Cervelló / Spain provide technical advice to customers about products and end-applications as well logistics and marketing support. Changes to the corporate status of the five companies will be completed by March of this year. At the beginning of 2008, BASF was registered as a European company (Societas Europaea).

As its principal customers for colour masterbatches in solid, liquid or powder form, enhanced with additives for special properties such as light stabilisers, BASF has defined companies active in the packaging, construction, household products, sport and leisure, along with automotive and manmade fibres sectors. The group said it will continue investing in production facilities and IT systems to achieve greater flexibility in production and more reliable delivery.