In a move aimed at catering to the growth of the automotive market in Asia Pacific, BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) on 11 October 2011 officially inaugurated its new “Cellasto” microcellular polyurethane component production site in Shanghai / China. The exact capacity of the new plant – BASF’s second of its kind in China and its third in Asia – remains unclear.

The German group will produce “Cellasto” spring aid and top mounts made of microcellular PU at the new site, which will allow BASF to deliver customised noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) technology and capabilities. Commenting on the investment – part of BASF’s plans to inject EUR 2.3 bn into the Asia Pacific region from 2011 to 2015 – the group’s Albert Heuser said, “We feel highly confident in the future of the automotive market in Asia Pacific, especially in China, as it has been experiencing rapid growth in the past several years” (for more details on the global automotive market, see Plasteurope.com of 16.09.2011).

BASF says “Cellasto” is a highly durable and high volume compressible material with minimum lateral expansion. In the automotive industry, it is mostly used in jounce bumpers, top mounts, spring isolators, bushings or body mounts.