27 March 2007 – BASF is to increase capacity for its styrenic foam Neopor in Europe and start production of the product in South Korea.
At Ludwigshafen in Germany, BASF will gradually switch some production of Styropor, its EPS insulation material, to Neopor, raising capacity for the latter from 60,000tpa to 190,000tpa. Neopor needs less material to achieve the same insulation quality as Styropor, thus making a key contribution to energy efficiency and climate protection, said the company.
The first expansion will take Neopor capacity to 100,000tpa in a project set to be completed at the start of 2008. A new plant will be built for the additional 90,000 metric tons, which will most likely be operational at the end of 2008, it said.
Ulsan, South Korea, has been chosen as the second global production site for Neopor and will serve the regional market. BASF did not disclose its planned capacity.
Hans W. Reiners, president of BASF Styrenics division, said: “Our goal is to provide the most modern forms of insulation materials in the future through further research and development.”
BASF has built several low energy houses worldwide using Neopor. In Germany, the company modernised an old building in Ludwigshafen to use only 3 litres of heating oil per square metre per year.
