Europe
BASF Pioneers Coatings Technology Research
In 2010,
BASF’s research
and development
expenditure
reached a new
record level,
rising to nearly
€1.5 billion.
by Sean Milmo
European Correspondent
milmocw@rodpub.com
As coatings producers and their raw ma- terial suppliers increasingly focus on R&D as a platform for growth, BASF is
showing the big competitive advantages it has
as an innovator in coatings and other sectors.
First it has the benefit of being a massive vertically integrated operation, making not only
coatings and their raw materials but also the
basic chemicals from which the raw materials
are derived.
Then because of its size as the world’s largest
chemicals producer it has been able to build up
an extensive R&D network across the world
while running a big central research unit at its
corporate HQ in Ludwigshafen, Germany. As a
result it has been able to generate a steady
stream of new technologies and applications in
coatings and related segments.
“Research and development at BASF is one of
our strategic assets for generating growth based
on technical and scientific know-how,” Andreas
Kreimeyer, the company’s research executive di-
rector, told an R&D press conference at Lud-
wigshafen. “More than 9,600 of our employees
are working in international and interdisciplinary
teams on about 3,600 projects aimed at finding
answers to the challenges of the future.”
By 2015 the company aims to generate sales
of € 6-8 billion ($8-11 billion) from innovations
that have not been on the market for more than
five years.
The main theme of the conference was mobility within the context of greater energy efficiency, lowering dependence on fossil fuels and
reduced carbon emissions. “Through our research we want to develop products and technologies that will secure individual flexibility
and mobility while protecting the environment
and climate,” said Kreimeyer.
A lot of BASF’s innovations will come from
its own R&D activities. But it also expects many
to be generated from collaborative efforts, including from research schemes, which are spon-
sored by the German and other governments.
“We are participating in approximately 1,900
cooperative projects worldwide,” said Kreimeyer.
“This international and interdisciplinary know-
how Verbund (integrated network) helps us to
bring innovations more rapidly into the markets.
This gives us an edge in global competition.”
BASF has recently reached agreement with
Henkel on the formation of a joint R&D ven-
ture to develop corrosion protection solutions
for the automobile industry, which will lower
costs and improve environmental compatibility
while enhancing performance. The companies
will bring together their expertise in the areas of
metal pre-treatment and dip coating.
“Pooling the experience and expertise of both
companies offers a solid basis for researching a
new and efficient technology,” said Raimar Jahn,
president of BASF’s coatings division.
A coatings innovation featured in the Ludwigshafen conference was an infrared (IR) reflective coating system for keeping surfaces
cooler when exposed to sunlight and thus ultimately saving energy in air conditioning systems.
It is an example of a technological concept,
which through the scope of its R&D activities,
BASF has been able to develop in different
sectors.
The concept was originally introduced as a
means for lowering heat generation by roofs
At BMW’s plant for the Mini car in Oxford, England,
a BASF coatings system has been introduced that involves the integration of the conventional four
coating layers so energy-intensive curing of single
layers is not required.
