BASF opens new coatings technical competence center for ASEAN’s growing automotive market

BASF has set up a Coatings Technical Competence Center ASEAN in Bangkok, Thailand. This new facility supports technical and laboratory activities mainly in motorcycle coatings including technology transfer, product development, performance testing, colour design and development, and houses a sales and marketing team as well as a technical service team of more than 20 professionals, all catering to motorcycle manufacturers in the ASEAN region.

"At BASF, we align our growth plans according to our customers’ expansion plans. The set-up of the new facility is well-timed, as there are increasingly more motorcycle and car plants being established in or transferred to ASEAN locations,” said Peter Fischer, Senior Vice President, Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific, BASF. "In Thailand, BASF has been in the motorcycle coatings business for more than 10 years and is the leading motorcycle coatings supplier locally. By staying close to customers, the new facility allows BASF to respond even faster to customer and market needs, and provide comprehensive high-quality services and innovative technologies and solutions in a more efficient manner.”

Boonchai Opas-iam-likit, Managing Director, BASF Thailand Limited, added, "Thailand is a key market and production hub for the car and motorcycle industries in ASEAN, which is an important region for these industries. This technical competence centre will significantly benefit our customers, especially in Thailand and, at the same time, is important to BASF in achieving our long-term business objectives.”

The leading motorcycle markets in ASEAN — Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand — have all demonstrated strong growth momentum in recent years. In 2012, motorcycle production in Thailand was 2.6M units, rising 62.5% compared with 2007 (1). Indonesia reported 7.1M motorcycles produced in 2012, a 51% increase in five years (2). In Vietnam, there was a 59% increment in the five-year period, with motorcycle production totaling 4.23M units in 2012 (3).

(1) Source: Thai Federation Industries
(2) Source: Indonesia Automotive Manufacturers Association
(3) Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam