No. 7 BASF Coatings
Münster, Germany (global headquarters)
Southfield, MI (North American headquarters)
248/304.5413
President: Uta Holzenkamp
2023 Coatings Sales: Approx. $4.8 billion (€4.4 billion)
The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production, and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic, and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. This portfolio is supplemented by "Beyond Paint Solutions," which enable new applications with innovative surfaces. The company creates advanced performance solutions and drives performance, design, and new applications to meet its partners’ needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge, and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia Pacific. In 2023, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €4.4 billion.
Parent Company: BASF SE
Notes: In March of 2023, BASF Shanghai Coatings (BSC) announced the opening of its new technical center building at the BSC Minhang site. As one of the key highlights of the Minhang extension project, the launch of the technical center building marks another milestone. With the brand-new outlook, BSC will better serve automotive OEM customers in China with its technology, products, and services. Equipped with advanced laboratory facilities and a team of highly qualified and experienced staff, the new technical center building can provide customers with total solutions covering whole process from color design, styling and matching, to product development and launch based on its "color + innovation” studio. With the new set up, it will create high-quality colors, greatly reduce product development time and improve overall work efficiency.
In April of 2023, General Motors (GM) recognized BASF as a 2022 Supplier of the Year. GM’s Supplier of the Year award recognizes global suppliers that distinguish themselves by exceeding GM’s requirements, and provide innovative technologies at some of the highest quality in the automotive industry. This was the 16th time BASF has received the award.
Also in April 2023, BASF, THIELMANN, and NXTGN signed a Joint Development Agreement, laying the foundation for a strategic partnership in the field of intermediate bulk container (IBC) tracking. The product, named “Tracingo,” is integrated into NXTGN’s platform “ibc.digital.” Forwarding companies and manufacturers of all types of liquids can use “ibc.digital” to track and document the location of their containers, their fill level and conditions in real time. This transparency enables optimized resource planning, customized maintenance, and complete traceability.
In June 2023, BASF opened its Technology Competence Center at the facilities of BASF Española in Marchamalo (Guadalajara). The official opening ceremony was attended by the Regional Minister of Sustainable Development of Castilla - La Mancha, José Luis Escudero, as well as the Mayor President of the city of Marchamalo, Rafael Esteban Santamaría, among other institutional representatives. The representation of the company was headed by Uta Holzenkamp, President of the global Coatings division of the BASF group, Carles Navarro Vigo, General Manager of BASF Española, and Lars Kuellenberg, Site Manager of BASF Española S.L. in Marchamalo.
In July 2023, BASF Shanghai Coatings Minhang and Caojing sites in Shanghai, and BASF Coatings’ resin plant in Caojing, Shanghai, announced the use of 100% renewable energy usage across its operations in 2023. This moves BASF’s Coatings division one step closer to its global sustainability targets – on carbon reduction, material efficiency, and safe and sustainable solutions. Through combination of Renewable Direct Power Purchase, purchase of I-REC international renewable energy certificate and other measures, it’s estimated that BASF Automotive OEM Coatings will reduce the equivalent of approximately 19,000 tons of carbon emissions through the end of 2023 in China.
In September 2023, BASF Coatings released its Color Trends Collection. Each year, designers create a new collection of colors to inspire automotive designers around the globe. When BASF’s designers looked at what their trend signals were telling them, they realized it’s time for a color update, as the classic automobile color wheel has had its day. Non-classic automotive hues emerged, propelling colors through a series of shifts reflecting a positive mood, with a focus on lighter shades and the exploration of new, expressive color spaces. The collection, called ON VOLUDE, provides colors that also adopt an increasing focus on sustainability and functionality. As customers rely on the BASF collection to design automotive colors for their future models, consumers will see the new direction on the road or in the driveway in the next three to five model years.
Source: Annual Report, press releases
