In order to be better placed to cater to the rapidly growing demand for polyurethane applications in the Arabian Peninsula, German chemical giant BASF (Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com) on 6 April officially inaugurated its new 2.8 hectare PU Solutions System House in Dubai Industrial City, an industry park located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Aside from latest technology production units, the new facility also includes a high-rack storage facility as well as a technical development and training centre. Commenting on the opening, Wayne T. Smith, president of BASF Polyurethanes, said: “This step once again shows that we are continuously expanding our leading position in the polyurethane market.” The German group sees strong potential in the construction and insulation sectors, as well as other key industries including oil and gas, footwear, applicances and electronics, transportation, sport and leisure as well as furniture.

BASF first strengthened its PU business in the Persian Gulf in 2008, setting up several joint venture companies with the Kanoo Group (Abu Dhabi / UAE; www.kanoogroup.com) – see Plasteurope.com of 22.05.2008.

Altogether, the Ludwigshafen-based group operates 38 polyurethane systems houses throughout the world. Most recently, BASF opened a new such house in Poland (see Plasteurope.com of 13.10.2010) and also announced plans to build two additional PU system houses in China (see Plasteurope.com of 28.09.2010).