By Liz White, UT staffCarrollton, Texas-BASF Corp. announced 5 Oct that it will close its polyurethane systems unit in Carrollton, Texas, by mid-2006, and consolidate the plant's production into other systems locations in the US. Only about 15 jobs will be affected, the group said. The closure is necessary, to improve our efficiency and cost competitiveness," according to Bill Bernstein, group vice president of BASF's Polyurethanes business in North America, in a company statement on the plan. We regret the impact this will have on our Carrollton employees, who have worked productively, safely and professionally," Bernstein said, stressing that, "We are committed to providing the necessary support services to assist our employees during the transition."Bernstein said the closure is part of a BASF restructuring in North America designed to reduce fixed costs through projects which optimise business and site operations. Customers will experience no disruption during the transition, BASF claimed.The Carrollton system house produces urethane-based chemical formulations used to make a broad range of products, including spray-applied polyurethane foams for insulating buildings."
