LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany - BASF is strengthening its global production network for pigments with two new investments. At the site in Nanjing, China, the company has increased its production capacities for high-performance diketopyrrolopyrrole pigments (DPP). In Ludwigshafen, BASF is going to expand its capacities for the production of versatile alpha blue pigments by the fall of 2016.

The color-intensive and extremely lightfast and weatherproof DPP pigments, which are marketed by BASF under the product name Irgazin^®, are, among other applications, used for automotive, industrial and powder coatings, paints and inks, as well as for plastic applications. By expanding its capacities in Nanjing, BASF has responded to the increasing demand for high-performance pigments, particularly in Asia-Pacific.

“DPP pigments are a high-quality alternative to lead-chromate-based pigments that are increasingly being regulated all over the world. With these innovative products, we help our customers develop more sustainable solutions,” explained Jeff Knight, Senior Vice President of the business unit Dispersions & Pigments Asia-Pacific.  

In its plant in Nanjing, which started operation in 2013, BASF has started producing various DPP pigments, mainly for the Asian market. With its comprehensive production network for DPP pigments, which includes sites in all regions, the company is in a position to rapidly and reliably supply pigments all over the world that comply with standardized specifications.

On its Ludwigshafen site, BASF is going to expand the capacities for the production of alpha blue pigments, which will be available from fall 2016 onwards. The reddish copper phthalocyanine pigments which, in addition to other blue and green pigments that are based on the same chemistry, are sold by BASF under the Heliogen^® brand and are characterized by their excellent fastness properties. In addition, alpha blue pigments stand out due to their versatile applicability that includes plastic coloring, printing applications as well as industrial and automotive coatings.