United States. The company will increase production capacity to approximately 600,000 metric tons per year by mid-decade to support the continued growth of its MDI customers in North America.
BASF begins construction of the third and final phase of the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) expansion project at its Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana, announced in July 2022.
The company will increase production capacity to approximately 600,000 metric tons per year by mid-decade to support the continued growth of its MDI customers in North America.
The investment for this final phase of expansion, which runs from 2022 to 2025, amounts to 780 million dollars. Including the first and second phases, the investment volume totals around $1 billion, making the MDI expansion project BASF's largest total ownership investment in North America.
"BASF is already among the largest and most forward-thinking chemical companies in the United States," said BASF Corporation President and CEO Michael Heinz.
"Through this investment, we demonstrate our commitment to meeting the needs of our customers, while strengthening our foundation for continued growth in the important U.S. market."
BASF welcomed Clay Schexnayder, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Louisiana State Legislature for a "tillage of the soil" ceremony to officially mark the start of the final phase of expansion.
"We are committed to continuing the success story together with our North American MDI customers," said Monomers North America Senior Vice President Stefan Doerr.
"BASF is investing to support our customers in various industries with significant growth potential in MDI applications, including transportation, automotive, footwear and furniture," he said.
Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, the expansion will exhibit the highest safety standards combined with advanced digitalization in its operations.
