BASF expanded dispersion production capacity at its manufacturing site in Durban, South Africa, strengthening supply for customers in architectural coatings, construction materials and paper applications across the region.

The expansion increases the company’s ability to supply dispersions used in coatings and other materials applications throughout East, West and Southern Africa.

Alongside the production upgrade, BASF established a new on-site application laboratory designed to support formulation development and customer collaboration.

The Durban facility is one of six dispersion production locations within BASF’s EMEA manufacturing network. The site supplies regional markets while supporting the company’s broader dispersions production footprint across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Our investment in Durban underscores our strong commitment to the dynamic African region and our local customers. Together with the recent capacity expansion in Dilovasi, Türkiye, and the modernization of the Ludwigshafen plant, we are strengthening our position as a leading supplier of high-quality dispersions across EMEA enhancing our capability to support our customers’ growth and innovations,” said Dr. Jörg Niebergall, senior vice president, dispersions Europe.

Ruveshen Reddy, responsible for the Durban production site, said the project included modernization of the production facilities and installation of a new reactor to improve supply reliability and product quality.

“This expansion in Durban will increase our supply reliability and ensure excellent product quality,” Reddy said. “To achieve this, we modernized our production facilities and installed a cutting-edge reactor.”

BASF is marking 60 years of operations in South Africa in 2026. The company said the Durban site remains the only multinational-operated dispersions production facility in the country.

BASF’s Dispersions & Resins division develops polymer dispersions, resins and additives used in coatings, adhesives, construction materials and other industrial applications.

Explore more coverage of polymer dispersions and coatings materials innovation in PCI’s Resins/Polymers topic section.