BASF) -- BASF plans to increase the production capacity of its insulation material Neopor (EPS, expandable polystyrene) in stages at its Ludwigshafen site by around 60,000 metric tons per year from December 2011 and is set to achieve full capacity by October 2013 at the latest. The gray Neopor is an advanced version of Styropor. It gets its color and unique performance by the addition of graphite particles – Neopor offers an improved insulating performance of up to 20% over the white EPS insulating material.
The increased capacity will be achieved by expanding existing production plants; this is the second increase in Neopor capacity at the Ludwigshafen site within three years. The international trend towards highly efficient insulating materials, particularly for use in external envelopes, continues apace. " We are investing in our plants so that we can extend our market leadership in gray EPS insulating materials even further" , explains Dr. Giorgio Greening, Head of BASF's global Foams Business Unit. In 1998, BASF was the first EPS manufacturer to include a gray insulating material in its portfolio. Its additional investment means that the company can offer its customers greater security of supply.
