To intensify collaboration with Asian customers and transform conceptual ideas into creative solutions, BASF (Ludwigshafen / Germany; www.basf.com) has announced the launch of three new “Creation Centers” in Shanghai / China, Tokyo / Japan and Mumbai / India. Andy Postlethwaite, senior vice president, Performance Materials Asia Pacific at BASF, said the centres will offer a wide range of resources in “unique collaborative spaces” to empower designers, engineers and developers to create new products using the German group’s innovative material solutions as well as supporting “the emerging design requirements of the market.”

The centres are being equipped with what BASF calls world-class workshop facilities and interactive material showcases. The chemicals and plastics powerhouse will additionally provide resources to create new and improve older products with its materials. Asian customers will be able to explore materials, use interactive digital tools and participate in ideation and material consultancy workshops; they will also have access to trend reports, material demonstrators and design events. BASF said brand owners can “seamlessly collaborate” with its experts – from development of design to advanced simulations and from computer-aided engineering to advanced prototyping.

At the recent “Chinaplas 2019” trade fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong / China, BASF’s booth featured several co-created projects. On display were concept cars with more than 20 innovative material solutions, developed with advanced prototyping support from the Creation Center, a concept wheelchair called “Ren Chair”, with design and functionality facilitated by the centre, as well as a leisure shoe collaboratively designed to combine style and function. Other co-created projects included a life-size model house featuring more sustainable construction materials and sportswear designs showing how fibres made of BASF materials can bring a “unique” combination of style and convenience to sportswear.