Mr. Tomoyoshi Naruo, President of BASF Japan Ltd. commented. “As global leaders in technology and innovation, our customers in Japan are the driving force in the industrial world. This is why BASF is working to develop innovations from Japan to support sustainable growth and to respond to the advanced needs of our customers both in Japan and around the world.”
In January 2012, the “BASF Innovation Center Japan" will be established in the German Industry Park, which is located in Yokohama’s Midori-ku. As a first step, the Engineering Plastics Technical Center in Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, will be relocated to the new center. It will support all stages of the development process from concept to design and testing of finished parts.
Additionally, a new innovation studio for plastic products will provide exhibition space and serve as a venue for interactive communication with customers.
Furthermore, BASF is consolidating its Dispersions & Pigments Japan technical teams into the Amagasaki R&D Center. The decision was made aiming for more technical synergy to foster innovation by bringing different technical expertise combined from previous business integrations. As the first step, BASF relocated its technical lab from Kawasaki to Amagasaki in 2010. The consolidation will be completed by the middle of December 2011 with the relocation of Dispersions and Coatings Labs in Yokkaichi.
With the restructuring, the Yokkaichi Site will specialize in the manufacture of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU).
Furthermore, a Japan Innovation Team is also being established in order to stimulate the development of innovations based on technologies and trends that originate in Japan. The team will work to strengthen collaborative relationships between specialists in Japan and BASF around the world, by using BASF’s sales and marketing channels, its research and development sites, and its global network. The team will also collaborate with BASF Future Business, a subsidiary of BASF that aims to open up new areas of business with above-average growth rates that lie outside BASF's mainstream activities.
These efforts will be conducted as part of the innovation community activities in the Asia Pacific region and will be carried out through close cooperation with both the Innovation Center in Yokohama and the Amagasaki R&D Center.
