BASF opens concrete admixture production facility in Nairobi, Kenya
- BASF's first production plant for construction chemicals in Eastern Africa
- Master Builders Solutions brand to strengthen global outreach
Nairobi, Kenya – August 28, 2014 – BASF yesterday inaugurated its new production plant for concrete admixtures in Nairobi. The production site will allow BASF to better meet the increasing demand for construction chemicals of customers in Eastern Africa. There, BASF produces standard and custom-made performance admixtures from the MasterRheobuild® and the MasterGlenium® product line.
"We are now able to rapidly supply our customers with admixtures for all cement and aggregate types, whether their construction projects are located in the urban areas of Eastern Africa or in more remote sites," said Dick Purchase, head of BASF's Regional Business Unit Construction Chemicals Middle East, West Asia, CIS and Africa. BASF's admixtures enable to produce concrete with higher strength, and to increase its workability retention. This is of special importance in urban areas such as Nairobi, Kenya, or Kampala, Uganda, where transportation of concrete to the construction site may take longer due to high traffic.
Kenya is a particularly strong growing market for construction chemicals in Eastern Africa. "Growth in emerging markets is an integral component of BASF's 'We create chemistry' strategy," said Laurent Tainturier, Senior Vice President CIS, Middle East and Africa at BASF. "In line with this, BASF's Africa strategy aims to double sales on the continent by the year 2020. The new production facility will strengthen the product portfolio in the region, and will meet the demands for multi-story buildings, long-lasting infrastructural constructions and more energy efficiency in construction techniques," he said. Cement is expensive and scarce in Eastern Africa. With BASF products, it can be partially replaced in the concrete mix designs. Solutions from BASF also help to comply with energy efficiency certifications for buildings such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by U.S. Green Building Council).
The new production site in Nairobi is a further step to strengthen the global network of the Master Builders Solutions® brand. The solutions offered by the brand will also strongly benefit contractors from other regions doing construction projects in Eastern Africa, as they may already know the product portfolio and technologies.
At the opening ceremony, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ambassador Amina Mohamed, said: "Not only will BASF now be able to further contribute to the building of sustainable structures in Eastern Africa, it will also bring employment opportunities and expertise to the region's construction sector."
The production plant is located in the Mlolongo area of Greater Nairobi. It has good access to the road network and the Mombasa Port to receive raw materials, deliver to customers in Nairobi and Kenya and to export to neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. BASF has been actively selling construction chemicals to the Eastern African market for more than 25 years. Other production sites in Africa are located in Westonaria, South Africa; Algiers, Algeria; Sadat City, Egypt and Casablanca, Morocco.
About the Construction Chemicals division
BASF's Construction Chemicals division offers advanced chemicals solutions for new construction, maintenance, repair and renovation of structures: Our comprehensive portfolio encompasses concrete admixtures, cement additives, chemical solutions for underground construction, waterproofing systems, sealants, concrete repair and protection systems, performance grouts, performance flooring systems, tile fixing systems, expansion control systems and wood protection solutions. The Construction Chemicals division's 5,700 employees form a global community of construction experts. To solve our customers' specific construction challenges from conception through to completion of a project, we combine our know-how across areas of expertise and regions and draw on the experience gained in countless construction projects worldwide. We leverage global BASF technologies, as well as our in-depth knowledge of local building needs, to develop innovations that help make our customers more successful and drive sustainable construction. The division operates production sites and sales centres in more than 50 countries and achieved sales of about €2.1 billion in 2013.
About BASF in Africa
The BASF Group has been active in Africa for 90 years. The company has been exporting colorants and intermediates to Kenya from its headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany, since the end of the 1920s. Today, the BASF Group has more than 1,000 employees in Africa (excluding the oil and gas business). In North Africa, the company is represented in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The key industries are construction, textiles, agriculture, automotive and the health care and plastics sectors. The BASF Group company Wintershall has been producing oil onshore in Libya since 1958, and it is also involved in an offshore oilfield. In South Africa, BASF has production facilities for emission catalysts, construction chemicals, coil coatings, dispersions and polyurethane plastics.
About BASF
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.