All China Leather Exhibition2015: BASF Presents Newly Developed Integrated Solutions for Tanneries
On July 22, 2015, BASF announced that it will present a series of solutions for the leather industry that are enabled by chemistry at the All China Leather Exhibition 2015 (“ACLE”) from August 31 to September 2, 2015 in Shanghai, China. At the show, the company will exhibit concrete solutions including products to lower carbon and toxicity footprint, as well as reduce water and energy usage of tanneries.
“Innovative chemistry is the key enabler to produce high performance leather in a more economical and sustainable way,” emphasized Alex Wartini, Vice President, Leather Chemicals, BASF. “Experts in our global research & development center in Shanghai together with our teams all over the world are committed to innovating and offering solutions for tanneries in all steps of leather manufacturing.”
At ACLE, BASF will demonstrate its beamhouse system, DryFast, which combines the advantages of a range of products with a solution that significantly reduces water, energy and process time for the tanneries. In an efficient combination of optimized process steps, effluents contain fewer chemicals and several washing steps can be avoided.
In addition, BASF will showcase a new generation of topcoat system for automotive finishing which offers up to 20% higher durability compared to the industry benchmark and meets the most stringent requirements from original equipment manufacturers in terms of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and consumer safety. Another new introduction is the 3S (superior, secure, simple) surface coating system for corrected grain leather which sets a benchmark in fastness standards, while at the same time, significantly reducing product complexity and ensuring that the finishing production is simple and convenient to use.
Heritage of innovation, investing in the future
This year BASF is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Innovation has been the force guiding the company’s history since its foundation in 1865. This is true also in the leather business. “We developed the first synthetic tanning agent in 1912, the first non-benzidine dyestuff, and drove the development of polymer retanning from the beginning – solutions that helped shape the course of development within the leather industry,” said Wartini.
Investment is another integral part of the company’s strategy. BASF is also investing in the future by upgrading its plants. BASF has recently invested Euro 7 million in a new integrated control system for its Tamol plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. With this investment, BASF aims to increase process automation which leads to better quality and reliability of this key Verbund production cluster.