BASF-YPC Co., Ltd. (BYC), a 50-50 joint venture between BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and Sinopec, has expanded the production capacity of neopentylglycol (NPG) at the state-of-the-art Verbund site in Nanjing, China. The plant was established in 2015 with an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr). With the completion of the expansion in August 2020, the annual capacity will reach 80,000 m.t./yr.
“The new expansion marks another milestone of long-standing partnership between SINOPEC and BASF. It reinforces our commitment to enhance local production and respond to the growing needs of Chinese customers for environmentally friendly powder coatings,” said Dr. Stephan Kothrade, President and Chairman Greater China, BASF.
“SINOPEC and BASF have been working closely together for many years. The start-up of the NPG expansion plant reflects a better cooperative relationship between the two parties and is also in line with the Chinese government’s steer towards improving industrial restructuring and transformation to fulfil market demand with high-quality products,” said Mr. Hong Jianqiao, Chairman of Sinopec Yangzi Petrochemical Company Limited and BASF-YPC Company Limited.
“With NPG production facilities in Asia, Europe and North America, BASF is one of the world’s leading NPG manufacturers with decades of experience in manufacturing and supplying NPG to our customers across a broad range of industries. Customers will benefit from our regional presence, innovation strength and supply reliability they have come to know and trust,” said Vasilios Galanos, Senior Vice President, BASF Intermediates Asia Pacific.
NPG is a unique polyalcohol offering superior performance in many end-use applications, especially in the production of polyester and alkyd resins for various coatings and plastics due to its high chemical and thermal stability. NPG has proven itself in many applications, especially in the production of polyester and alkyd resins for various coatings and plastics. An essential field of application is powder coatings, which prove particularly successful in the construction industry, as well as in the coating of household appliances. BASF has NPG production sites in Ludwigshafen (Germany), Freeport (USA), Nanjing (China) and Jilin (China).