BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) has opened a new polyurethanes technical development centre in Karachi / Pakistan. The German chemicals and plastics giant said the new state-of-the-art facility complements its systems house network in the Asian country. It has no PU-related production at the site, but material will be supplied from other BASF world-scale plants.

The centre houses a wet lab, dry lab and a foam-cutting area and is “also fully equipped, with cutting-edge technology,” BASF said. It will offer customer support services ranging from troubleshooting to customised formulations, line trials and customer training sessions for polyurethane applications in diverse industries, including home appliances, furniture, construction, footwear and transportation.

At the new centre, BASF will help customers drive sustainable solutions for the present and upcoming industrial challenges, said Hyoung Soon Moon, vice president Asia Pacific for performance materials and polyurethanes. Examples include help in complying with local technical specifications of OEM's for 4-& 2-wheelers and meeting high energy star rating in appliances as well as providing “technical edge” to key accounts in footwear and smart housing solutions.