Castellbisbal, Spain – BASF is making a 'single-digit euro-millions' investment at its water-based PUD plant near Barcelona. The aim is to increase production by 30%.
The company is making the investment to help make supplies more reliable. Frank Hezel, the company's vice president for resins & additives in EMEA, said, 'This investment underlines our intention to assume a leading position in the business of polyurethane dispersions.'
Castellbisbal: home of the new expansion
No capacity was given for the expansion, but BASF said that products from the plant would be likely to find their way into applications in a range of markets.
In furniture and flooring, they will be sold as Joncryl products. These polyurethanes give improved abrasion and scratch resistance, and resist attack from common household cleaning chemicals, the company said. It added that there is no need for film-forming chemicals with these water-based polyurethane PUDs. This makes the air cleaner than using solvent-based products during installation.
Basonol is the automotive sector brand for products that are designed to help primers stick better to the surface. Smoother finishes are also possible than conventional materials.
Epotal Eco bio-degradable adhesives will be sold into the flexible packaging sector. These materials will be used in multi-layer products to help biodegradeability.
Finally, the new water-based materials will be used as printing varnishes. Again sold under the brand name Joncryl, the company claims the varnishes give printed products 'a smooth and velvety touch'.
