BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) has officially opened its new 160,000 t/y world-scale plant for customer-specific antioxidant blends (CSB) in Bahrain – see Plasteurope.com of 22.07.2011. The new facility based on its proprietary CSB technology and billed as the largest of its kind worldwide will supply the fast growing polymer market in key customers in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The new production site that complements an existing manufacturing agreement for CSB with Astra Polymers (Dammam / Saudia Arabia; www.astra-polymers.com) extended earlier this year will shorten delivery times to customers, a BASF spokesperson told Plasteurope.com. The German group said the new facility is part of its strong antioxidants production network spanning three continents, which will be “further optimised” once full production starts at the end of this year.