BASF building its largest European emission catalyst plant

6 November 2012

BASF announced it is investing approximately €90 million in the first step to build a mobile emission catalysts production facility in Środa Śląska, a Special Economic Zone near Wrocław, Poland. Construction of the new 40,000 square meter facility–BASF’s largest in Europe–will begin before the end of 2012. The plant will start production in the first quarter of 2014.

Additional expansion will follow, said BASF, raising the total investment volume for the project to approximately €150 million. Once all 10 planned light-duty and heavy-duty production lines are operating at full capacity by 2016, BASF expects to employ more than 400 people at the new site.

“The planned implementation of Euro 6 light duty and Euro VI heavy duty emissions regulations in Europe will drive an increased demand for advanced emissions control systems. BASF is more than doubling its production capacity in Europe to keep pace with this demand and to continue to meet our customers’ needs,” said Rui Goerck, Senior Vice President, Mobile Emissions Catalysts at BASF.

Among the catalyst technologies that will be produced in Poland are selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems and 'SCR on Filter' solutions. In addition, the plant will house a regional sample laboratory and a production line for BASF’s Premair®-branded ozone destruction catalysts for automotive applications.

Once the new plant in open, BASF production capacity in Europe will more than double. In parallel with the new production plant, BASF is also expanding its existing emissions catalyst production operation in Nienburg, Germany.

Source: BASF