BASF extends presence in international markets.

BASF Acquires All Shares of BAN Venture

BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany, has agreed to acquire all shares in BASF Akzo Nobel (BAN), a joint venture based in Australia between BASF and Akzo Nobel. The BAN venture, which focused on OEM coatings in the Australian market, was created in 2000 and it was an even 50-50 split ownership between BASF and Akzo Nobel prior to the acquisition. Effective on July 1, BASF combined the BAN business unit with its refinish coatings entity to create one coatings company known as BASF Coatings Australia Pty Ltd.

BASF Extends Presence in Africa

BASF Coatings has announced plans to extend its market presence in Africa. As part of this initiative, select Glasurit[R] and Salcomix[R] brand automotive repair products have been made available in Ghana. BASF will be working with distributors based in the capital city of Accra and in Kumasi to supply the country. Additionally, BASF will be providing business consultation and technical training to its distribution partners and applicators.

BASF Takes Over Glasurit Distribution in Poland

BASF Coatings has announced that it has restructured the distribution of its Glasurit[R] product line in Poland. Instead of continuing with importer Webolit, BASF will now be marketing and distributing the product line directly to Polish dealers. BASF reports that the restructuring will not affect the current distribution process.

Waterborne Coatings Introduced to Chinese Auto Market

In China, BASF Coatings has announced that the first automobile (a Shanghai General Motors Excelle) painted with its waterborne basecoat paint has been introduced into the market. This is a milestone as it marks the first time low-VOC water-borne basecoat paint technology has been used in the Chinese automobile market. Until now, solventborne coatings had been used almost exclusively by the Chinese industry.